GEORGE TOWN: While work on one new crossing between Penang’s island and mainland is about to start, discussions for yet another crossing has been going on for years.

In fact, the idea of a third fixed link between Penang Island and the mainland was first proposed in the early 2010s as part of the Penang Transport Master Plan.

It was originally conceived as an undersea tunnel between Gurney Drive and Bagan Ajam, a 7km tunnel to run 11m beneath the seabed, costing over RM6bil.

It was to be funded partly through a land swap involving reclaimed parcels along the Gurney Drive coastline.

The project was awarded to Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, a special purpose vehicle appointed to undertake the tunnel’s feasibility studies and construction.

However, the plan never received approval due to cost concerns, political transitions and questions about its financing model.

In 2023, the state government signalled a shift, favouring a conventional bridge instead.

However, that has run into concerns by Penang Port Sdn Bhd, which indicated that the third bridge would at least need to have 100m of vertical clearance to allow large cruise and cargo vessels through.

The main span, without piers or pillars, would need to stretch as far as 2km to prevent interference with shipping lanes.

While that plans remains on the drawing board, another more recent idea is bearing fruit – the light rail transit (LRT) bridge under the Federal Government-funded Mutiara Line.

The LRT system will link Komtar with the upcoming Silicon Island off the island’s southern coast and is expected to serve key locations including SPICE Arena, the airport and the Bayan Lepas industrial zones.

The LRT bridge includes a crossing to Butterworth to connect an LRT station in Macallum Street Ghaut with Penang Sentral.

It is learnt that the LRT bridge will be 4km long and may include pedestrian and cycling paths as part of a broader multi-modal design.

PPSB has specified a vertical clearance of 60m to 62m, with a required mid-channel span of at least 600m to allow ship navigation.

On the mainland, the bridge is expected to reach land near the Crowne Plaza Hotel along Jalan Bagan Luar, about 1km north of Penang Sentral.

Early-stage construction work on several LRT station sites on the island has begun.