Excitement in the air as 2nd Penang Bridge hits 3/4 mark

GEORGE TOWN: Excitement is clearly growing with the state's second Penang Bridge having passed its three-quarter completion mark. Workers on the ground are beginning to have a sense of an ending now that the bridge is taking shape literally. Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd construction director Hamizol Ngah said progress on the island's second link had been tremendous over the last two and half years. “As at April 26, the bridge was 76.22% completed. It is great to be able to say that the bridge is (1.2%) ahead of schedule and in another 15 months, there will be traffic on it,” he said at the China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd (M) Sdn Bhd (CHEC) office in Batu Maung here recently.

Shape of things to come: The outline of the second Penang Bridge can be clearly seen from the main span. 

The bridge, scheduled for completion by Sept 8 next year after work began in 2008, is set to be the longest in South-East Asia. Hamizol said although working on the bridge had posed several personal challenges, the end result was worth it. “I cannot swim. I'm afraid of heights and get seasick, but at work, I put on my fierce face. When you have to deal with things, you will,” said the retired Public Works Department senior assistant director. He said he felt a great satisfaction from having worked on a project that would benefit the public on a daily basis, citing experiences of spotting schools of dolphins and being stuck on pier platforms during rough weather as the highlights. Teng Jit Poh, a CHEC construction manager, said the bridge's Package One was 93.8% completed, about 4.35% ahead of schedule.

“With the structures up, you can basically see the whole alignment of the second bridge from the first,” he said before giving The Star the first close-up look at the link's main navigation span. Teng, who is from Sungai Bakap, said that although working on the second bridge was challenging, it was also satisfying. “Compared to building a bridge on land, you are fighting both time and tide here. The time window is very tight and you only have two to four hours of low tide to complete everything you need to do,” he said. “It's great to be involved with one of Penang's mega projects more so as a Penangite.”

Source: The Star Online - Tuesday, May 8 2012