Highways and Roads

Note: Alignment subject to review prior to implementation. This drawing is not to scale.

Lebuh Raya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (LCE) is now the only north-south spine road on Penang Island that caters to traffic from the Penang Bridge, Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, Penang International Airport, Bayan Lepas industrial zone and other developments on the eastern coast.

Congested during rush hours and holidays, LCE has outgrown its intended design capacity, and the situation will worsen without long-term intervention measures; impacting to the state’s future growth and liveability.

To provide an efficient road network and connectivity, alongside a reliable public transport system, SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd and Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd have been tasked with the delivery of new highways and roads under the PTMP.

The highway master plan outlines strategic traffic bypasses to ease congestion and to cater for rising vehicle numbers, particularly with foreseeable developments taking place over the next decades, and to provide long-term relief from congestion.

The master plan proposes the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1) as the second spine road to ease the congestion on LCE. PIL 1 will provide a ring traffic dispersal system connecting the North Coastal Paired Road (NCPR), Gurney Expressway, LCE, Penang International Airport, Penang Bridge and Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge.

There will also be interchanges at several strategic locations for traffic dispersal, namely in Gurney, Persiaran Kuari, LCE, Tun Dr Awang and Paya Terubong.

For Penang Island, the master plan proposes the construction of:

For Seberang Perai, the proposed plan includes the:

These components are still at proposal stage and subject to approval and changes in the future. Only the PIL 1 component has obtained environmental impact assessment approval.

Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1)

Driving Towards a Modern Penang

The 20km toll-free PIL 1 highway will alleviate traffic congestion on the Lebuh Raya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (LCE) and adjacent arterial roads.

It will serve as the second north-south spine road with limited points of access to ensure certainty in speed and travel time, providing motorists with an alternative to the LCE.

Upon completion, road users traveling between north and south Penang Island can bypass high-traffic locations in high-density areas such as Jalan Scotland, Jalan Masjid Negeri, Jalan Ayer Itam, Jalan Paya Terubong and Jalan Bukit Gambir.

PIL 1 is strategically linked via its six interchanges to the Gurney Expressway, the proposed third link, the proposed North-South Expressway (NSE) Link (bypass), Lebuh Raya Thean Teik, Penang International Airport, Penang Bridge and Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge.

PIL 1, a dual three-lane highway, will also feature eco-friendly designs such as an elevated highway with tunnel sections and a cable-stayed bridge to minimise social and environmental impact.

PIL 1 will enable:

Pan Island Link 2A (PIL 2A)

The Pan Island Link 2A will cater to the future Penang South Island (PSI) development in Bayan Lepas.

The 5.3km alignment will be the main link between Penang Island and PSI, connecting the manmade Silicon Island with the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge.

PIL2A will feature a 3km viaduct that runs along Jalan Batu Maung and the JKR Bridge. The rest of the alignment will be 1.4km of at-grade road and the JKR Bridge widening (900m).

PIL2A is still at proposal stage and subject to approval and changes in the future.

Butterworth-Kulim Expressway Interchange (BKE IC)

Note: Alignment subject to review prior to implementation. This drawing is not to scale.

The Butterworth-Kulim Expressway Interchange (BKE IC) is one of the busiest junctions in Seberang Perai, with traffic volumes at the at-grade signalised roundabout as high as 10,000 passenger car units (PCU) per hour during peak traffic.

The highest turning traffic volume was observed to be from the North-South Expressway (NSE) to BKE.

A third-tier one-way flyover is proposed to reduce the overall traffic volume entering the roundabout by some 20%, improving the operation of the roundabout and shortening the waiting time for motorists.

This component is still a proposal and subject to approval and changes in the future.

Juru Interchange (Juru IC)

Note: Alignment subject to review prior to implementation. This drawing is not to scale.

The Penang Transport Master Plan proposes to upgrade the Juru Interchange into a “diverging diamond interchange”.

This type of interchange allows two directions of traffic from non-expressway roads to cross to the opposite side on both sides of the bridge at the expressway. It requires traffic to briefly use the opposite side of the road from what is customary.

This upgrade is important to address severe congestion along the North-South Expressway (NSE) and at the signalised Jalan Kebun Nenas-Jalan Perusahaan T-junction.

Lane widening and synchronising traffic signal timing at the Jalan Kebun Nenas-Jalan Perusahaan T-junction are also proposed.

This component is still a proposal and subject to approval and changes in the future.

Missing Links

To enhance the existing road network in Seberang Perai, the proposal includes building “missing links” for better connectivity in the local road network, namely in the Permatang Pasir-Perda and Bukit Minyak areas.

These “missing links” will help shorten journey time between adjacent developments and townships, and also create a smoother driving experience for road users.

This component is still a proposal and subject to approval and changes in the future.

Map A: Missing links in Permatang Pasir-Perda

Note: Transit alignment & system subject to review prior to implementation. This drawing is not to scale.

Map B: Missing links in Bukit Minyak

Note: Transit alignment & system subject to review prior to implementation. This drawing is not to scale.