This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2025) |
Expressway 36 | |
---|---|
Penang Bridge Jambatan Pulau Pinang பினாங்கு பாலம் 槟威大桥 | |
Penang Bridge in red | |
![]() | |
Route information | |
Length | 13.5 km (8.4 mi) |
Existed | 1970s–present |
History | Opened 3 August 1985[ citation needed ], inaugurated 14 September 1985 [1] |
Major junctions | |
East end | ![]() ![]() |
West end | ![]() ![]() |
Location | |
Country | Malaysia |
Primary destinations | George Town, Bayan Lepas, Perai, Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam |
Highway system | |
Penang Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 5°21′14″N100°21′09″E / 5.353863°N 100.352554°E |
Carries | Motor vehicles |
Crosses | Penang Strait, Malaysia |
Locale | Penang |
Official name | Penang Bridge |
Maintained by | PLUS Expressways |
Characteristics | |
Design | Cable-stayed bridge Box girder bridge |
Total length | 13.5 km (8.4 mi) |
Width | -- |
Longest span | 225 meters |
History | |
Designer | Primary Government of Malaysia Malaysian Highway Authority Secondary ![]() United Engineers Malaysia Berhad |
Constructed by | Multiple
|
Construction start | 12 April 1982 [1] |
Construction end | 13 April 1985 [1] |
Opened | 3 August 1985 |
Inaugurated | 14 September 1985 [1] |
Statistics | |
Toll | Depends on vehicle type (island-bound only) |
Location | |
![]() |
The Penang Bridge is a 13.5-kilometre (8.4-mile) [2] [3] dual carriageway toll bridge and controlled-access highway in the Malaysian state of Penang. It connects Perai on the mainland side of the state with Gelugor on the island, crossing the Penang Strait. The bridge was the first and, until 2014, only road connection between the peninsula and the island. It is the second-longest bridge over water in Malaysia, with a length over water of 8.4 kilometres (5.2 miles). [3]
Penang Bridge was inaugurated on 14 September 1985. [1] The current concession holder and maintainer is PLUS Expressways. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd was the concession holder before it was merged with the current concessionaire.[ when? ]
Date | Event |
---|---|
Early 1970s | The idea to build a bridge linking Seberang Perai to Penang Island was suggested by Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein and Chief Minister of Penang Lim Chong Eu. |
23 July 1981 | Works Minister Samy Vellu announced that Penang Bridge would be constructed using the cable-stayed concrete girders of the San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge instead of the steel-tied arch in the style of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. [4] Speaking after his first cabinet meeting, prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said the government had picked the contractor for the job, though he declined to specify who it was. [5] |
1982 | Construction of Penang Bridge officially began. |
3 August 1985 | Official opening of Penang Bridge by Prime Minister Mahathir. [6] |
14 September 1985 | Penang Bridge is officially opened to traffic. [7] |
When the bridge was initially constructed, the central span had six lanes, while the rest of the bridge had four. Widening of the entire bridge to six lanes began in January 2008 and was completed in late 2009.
Penang Bridge has an overall length of 13.5 km (8.4 mi): 8.4 km (5.2 mi) above water, 1.5 km (0.93 mi) on Penang Island, and 3.6 km (2.2 mi) in Prai. The 255 m (837 ft) main span is 33 m (108 ft) above water, held up by four 101.5 m (333 ft) towers. The carriageway has three lanes in each direction and a speed limit of 70–80 km/h (43–50 mph). [8]
The bridge has an emergency [[Rest area#Lay-bys|lay-by equipped with an SOS phone.[ citation needed ] Traffic CCTV and VMS are installed at various locations.[ citation needed ] The bridge carries a Tenaga Nasional 132kV power cable.[ citation needed ]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2025) |
Since 1985, Penang Bridge has been tolled. Fees are charged only when entering from the mainland and travelling towards Penang Island. Since 1994, the tolls have been collected by a private concession company, Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd, which has become a member of PLUS Malaysia Berhad. Beginning 1 January 2019, toll collection for motorcyclists, which used to be RM1.40, was abolished for both Penang bridges. [9] [10] [11]
As part of an initiative to facilitate faster transactions at the Perai toll plaza, they have been exclusively conducted via electronic toll collection with the use of Touch 'n Go cards and SmartTAGs since 9 September 2015.[ citation needed ]
(Since 1 February 2020)
Class | Types of vehicles | Rate (in Malaysian ringgit (RM)) |
---|---|---|
1 | Motorcycles (vehicles with two axles and two wheels) | Free |
2 | Cars & motorcycles with sidecars (vehicles with two axles and three or four wheels (including station wagons and commercial vehicles)) | 5.74 |
3A | Vans and & buses (vehicles with two axles and four wheels (excluding lorries)) | 9.84 |
3B | Lorries (vehicles with two axles and four wheels (excluding vans and buses)) | 12.00 |
4A | Vans & buses (vehicles with two axles and five or six wheels (excluding trucks)) | 20.50 |
4B | Large trucks (vehicles with two axles and five or six wheels (excluding vans and buses)) | 25.00 |
5A | Buses (vehicles with three axles (excluding trucks)) | 36.90 |
5B | Large trucks (vehicles with three axles (excluding buses)) | 45.00 |
6 | Large trucks (vehicles with four axles) | 60.00 |
7 | Large trucks (vehicles with five or more axles) | 75.00 |
![]() | This section is missing kilometre posts for junctions. |
km | Exit | Interchange | To | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() ![]() North Alor Setar Permatang Pauh Seberang Jaya | ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() (Tun Hussein Onn Highway) | ||||
![]() 0 | Perai Interchange | Northwest![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Southeast ![]() ![]() | Partial cloverleaf interchange | |
Railway crossing bridge | ||||
Penang Bridge Interchange | 3601A![]() ![]() South Kuala Lumpur Ipoh Bukit Tambun 3601B ![]() Northwest Perai Industrial Area Southeast Juru | 3601A Stacked expressway interchange 3601B Cloverleaf interchange | ||
![]() ![]() ![]() (Tun Hussein Onn Highway) | ||||
![]() ![]() | ||||
U-Turn | U-TURN![]() Perai Butterworth ![]() ![]() Customer Service Centre | |||
Perai toll plaza (PLAZA A) (Enter bridge only) PBSB SmartTAG Touch 'n Go TnG POS MyRFID Opened toll system Pay toll Light and heavy vehicles only | ||||
Perai toll plaza (PLAZA B) (Enter bridge only) PBSB SmartTAG Touch 'n Go TnG POS MyRFID Opened toll system Pay toll Light and heavy vehicles only | ||||
![]() PBSB | ![]() ![]() Customer Service Centre | Enter bridge only | ||
U-turn | U-TURN![]() George Town Bayan Lepas ![]() ![]() Customer Service Centre | |||
Penang Bridge Length over water: 8.4 kilometres | ||||
3602A 3602B 3602C | Gelugor-Penang Bridge Interchange | 3602B West![]() Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) Regional office Jelutong Gelugor Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) ![]() ![]() (Bayan Lepas Expressway) 3602C North George Town/ Weld Quay Air Itam Batu Feringgi Penang Hospital ![]() 3602A South Batu Maung Bayan Lepas Industrial area Penang International Airport ![]() Jerejak Island (Jetty) | Stacked expressway interchange | |
Lotus's Penang | ![]() | |||
3602C North | Jalan Tengku Kudin Interchange | WEST![]() Jalan Yengku Kudin Gelugor Batu Feringgi Tanjung Bungah Air Itam Penang Hospital ![]() | Interchange from/to Penang Bridge and Bayan Lepas only | |
![]() ![]() ( ![]() (Bayan Lepas Expressway) PBSB border limit | ||||
![]() (Jelutong Expressway) JKR and MPPP border limit | ||||
North![]() (Jelutong Expressway) George Town/Weld Quay Komtar Ferry Sungai Pinang |
km | Exit | Interchange | To | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
Malaysian Highway Authority Northern Regional Office | Malaysian Highway Authority Northern Regional Office | |||
3602B WEST | Universiti Sains Malaysia Interchange | ![]() North George Town City Centre Jelutong Gelugor Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) ![]() Penang Hospital ![]() South Balik Pulau Bayan Lepas Penang International Airport ![]() | Trumpet interchange |
Commemorative postage stamps to mark the opening of Penang Bridge were issued by the Malaysian Postal Services Department (now Pos Malaysia) on 15 September 1985. [12] The denominations for these stamps were 20 sen, 40 sen, and RM 1.00.
Over the years of its operation, the bridge has been a frequent spot for road accidents [13] and suicides.
On 20 January 2019, two cars travelling mainland-bound collided, with one plunging into the Strait of Malacca. [14] A search operation was launched for the submerged car, and the victim was later found dead. [15]
Penang Bridge became a subject matter in Lat's 1987 comic book Lat and Gang. On page 58, Lat illustrates various situations taking place on the bridge. [16]
Butterworth is the city centre of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. It lies about 3 km (1.9 mi) east of George Town, the capital city of Penang, across the Penang Strait. As of 2020, Butterworth had a total population of 80,378 residents.
The North–South Expressway is a network of tolled controlled-access highways running through the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The expressway network consists of the northern and southern route, having a total length of 772 kilometres. Running through seven states and connecting the Thailand and Singapore borders, the North–South Expressway is an important thoroughfare for local, interstate and international traffic. The expressway is part of route AH2, a designation of the Asian Highway Network.
Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located on the Malay Peninsula and separated from Penang Island by the Penang Strait, it shares borders with Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. The city spans an area of 748 km2 (289 sq mi) and had a population of 946,092 as of 2020, making it the third largest city in Malaysia.
The East Coast Expressway is an interstate controlled-access highway running parallel to the northeastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The currently operational 433-kilometre (269-mile) segment of the expressway runs through Karak, Pahang and Kuala Nerus, Terengganu.
The North–South Expressway Northern Route is an interstate controlled-access highway running parallel to the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The 460-kilometre (290-mile) expressway forms the north section of the North–South Expressway, passing through the northwestern states of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor. The expressway begins at the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah, where the Malaysia–Thailand border lies, and ends at Bukit Lanjan in Selangor state where the expressway interchanges with the New Klang Valley Expressway. The expressway is operated by PLUS Expressways.
The Federal Route 1 is the first federal road in Malaysia, the oldest federal road in Malaysia, and among the nation's earliest public roadways ever constructed. The Federal Route 1 was the backbone of the road system in the western states of Peninsular Malaysia before being supplanted by the North–South Expressway.
Butterworth–Kulim Expressway, BKE, Butterworth–Kulim Expressway AH140, is the only opened toll system's expressway in Penang, Malaysia. The 17 km (11 mi) expressway connects Butterworth, Penang in the west to Lunas, Kedah in the east. It is also a main route to East–West Highway via Baling, Kedah and Gerik, Perak.
Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) is a coastal expressway located in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia. This 14 km (8.7 mi) expressway connects Sungai Dua in the north until Perai in the south.
The Pan-Borneo Highway including the sections now known as the Pan Borneo Expressway, is a controlled-access highway on Borneo Island, connecting two Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak, with Brunei. The length of the entire highway is 2,083 kilometres (1,294 mi) for the Malaysian section, 168 kilometres (104 mi) for the Bruneian section.
The Maju Expressway (MEX) (formerly known as Kuala Lumpur–Putrajaya Expressway(KLPE) and KL–KLIA Dedicated Expressway) Maju Expressway (Malay: Lebuhraya Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya) is an expressway network in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The 26 km (16 mi)-long expressway links the Kuala Lumpur City Centre with the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, Selangor. The expressway is a backbone of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) area.
Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) is a planned expressway in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. If constructed, it will connect Gelugor in the south, near Penang Bridge to Tanjung Bungah in the north. After a mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, this project, together with Penang Monorail has been postponed indefinitely.
The Sungai Johor Bridge is an expressway bridge across Johor River on Senai–Desaru Expressway in Johor, Malaysia. The 1.7 km single plane cable stayed bridge connects Pulau Juling in Johor Bahru District in the west to Tanjung Penyabong in Kota Tinggi District in the east. Opened on 10 June 2011, it has the longest central span of any river bridge in Malaysia, followed by Batang Sadong Bridge in Sarawak. The bridge is also the longest single plane cable-stayed bridge in Malaysia.
Perai is a suburb of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. It lies at the southern bank of the Perai River and borders Butterworth to the north.
Malacca Island is a man-made islet approximately 0.5 km off the coast of Malacca City – the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca, just south of its business district of Taman Melaka Raya. It is formed from the reclamation of land around an islet named Jawa Island in the mid-1990s, when the Malacca State Government under then Chief Minister, Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik was planning to turn it into a "Malacca Manhattan" for business and recreational purposes.
Batu Kawan is an island and suburb of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is geographically separated from the rest of Seberang Perai by the Jawi and Tengah rivers. As of 2020, Batu Kawan contained a population of 11,409.
The Second Link ExpresswaySecond Link Expressway is a 47-kilometre (29-mile) controlled-access highway in Johor, Malaysia. It runs from Senai, Kulai District near the international airport to the Malaysia–Singapore Second Link at Tanjung Kupang, Johor Bahru District.
The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad is a Malaysian newspaper publishing conglomerate, owned by Media Prima. The NSTP publishes several newspapers, including its namesake flagship newspaper as well as Berita Harian and Harian Metro.
The Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, also known as the Penang Second Bridge, is a dual carriageway toll bridge in Penang, Malaysia. It connects Bandar Cassia in Seberang Perai, Peninsular Malaysia, with Batu Maung on Penang Island. It is the second bridge to link the island to the mainland after Penang Bridge.
The Butterworth–Seberang Jaya Toll Road, Federal Route 4 is a 5-km non-expressway-standard toll road in Penang, Malaysia. It connects Butterworth city centre to Seberang Jaya, a township at the eastern outskirt of Butterworth. This toll road is maintained by Lingkaran Butterworth (Penang) Sdn. Bhd. as a part of the Butterworth Outer Ring Road E17 project.
Kuala Terengganu Drawbridge is a bascule bridge located in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia, and crosses the mouth of Terengganu River. It is the fourth bridge within the Kuala Terengganu City area that straddles the river after Sultan Mahmud Bridge, Manir Bridge, and Pulau Sekati Bridge.