Penang Bridge Turns 25 This Year

PENANG:  When veteran politician Dr Lim Chong Eu (now Tun) spoke about building a bridge linking Penang Island to Butterworth on the mainland way back in the 1950s and 60s, there were many sceptics.

They felt that such a massive infrastructural undertaking may not be feasible as no such bridge had been built in the region before.

But Dr Lim, who went on to become Chief Minister of Penang between 1969 and 1990, persevered with the idea of this important linkage.

Finally on April 13, 1985, a 13.5km bridge, with four towers in mid-span and standing 33m above water, was completed within four years after the federal government pumped in RM850mil for the project.

Before it was built, people mainly relied on the ferry services to cross the Penang Strait, making the conception of the bridge one of the most important developments in the history of Penang.

The bridge was designed by a Penangite, the late Tan Sri Prof Chin Fung Kee, a well-known authority on geotechnical engineering and a former acting vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaya. He opted for the cable-stayed concrete girder of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge instead of the steel-tied arch in the style of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Penang Bridge, which has carried millions of vehicles and passengers since it was opened to the public on Sept 14, 1985, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Over the past 25 years, it has contributed significantly to the development of Penang both as a tourist and industrial centre, said a spokesman of Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd, the concessionaire responsible for managing, operating, upgrading and collecting toll from the bridge under a 25-year concession from Aug 15, 1993 to May 31, 2018.

He said that with the expansion on the Penang Bridge’s third lane, which opened in August last year, the bridge can now accommodate 155,000 vehicles a day compared to 120,000 before the expansion project.

“The new lanes are designed to reduce travelling time during peak hours from 20 to 11 minutes,” he said, adding that the entire length of the bridge has three lanes going each way.

The Penang Bridge was extended by an extra 4.8m on both sides. There is also a 2.0m-wide motorcycle lane.

To ensure smooth traffic flow, 24 toll lanes had been built of which 10 are for motorcycles, taking into cognisance this popular mode of transport in Penang as about 30,000 motorcycles pass through the bridge daily, he said.

Being an iconic symbol for Penang, he said the bridge, which ranks as the longest bridge in Asia and fifth largest in the world, also plays host to the annual Penang Bridge Run, a popular athletics event since its inception.

From a historical and construction perspective, Tun Abdul Razak, Malaysia’s second prime minister, had initiated the idea to set the process moving to build the bridge in the early 1970s.

The bridge was planned during the term of the third prime minister, Tun Hussein Onn, in the late 1970s. In April 1982, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the country’s fourth prime minister, sank the first pile to officially kick off the construction of the project.

On Aug 3, 1985, Dr Mahathir drove across the bridge in a red Proton Saga, carrying the national flag at the opening ceremony. By his side was his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and in the back seat were Dr Lim, the then-Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and the then-Proton chairman, Tan Sri Jamil Jan.

In terms of engineering feats, the total length of piling for the bridge is 648km, equal to the distance from Butterworth to Johor Baru. It can withstand earthquakes up to 7.5 on the Richter scale.

Of the entire length of 13.5km, 8.4km of the bridge is above water.

True to Penang’s motto of “Penang Leads”, the bridge’s toll plaza operator was the first in Malaysia to obtain MS ISO 9002 certification. It was also the first to introduce toll payment by Contactless Smart Card.

To monitor traffic flow and bridge security, the PBSB spokesman said the company has established the Penang Bridge Communication Centre (PBCC), a comprehensive monitoring centre equipped with 24-hour closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at 24 locations.

The spokesman said Penang Bridge is also equipped with 12 emergency telephones (ET) at 1.2km intervals on bridge lay-bys and the main span. This facility allows communication between ET call box and the control centre at PBCC.

In addition, the 24-hour bridge patrolling vehicles handle minor breakdowns along the 12 lay-bys on the bridge. Beside the 24-hour patrolling and handling minor repairs, the patrol teams are also equipped with towing facilities.

“The tow trucks are being placed on standby at both sides of the bridge during peak hours to expedite the response and evacuation times,” the spokesman said.

Penang Bridge also operates an Online Traffic Information Management System to provide real-time information on the traffic conditions on Penang Bridge via SMS.

“It gives the public the latest information within minutes to help them plan their journey,” he said.

Source: Bernama

8.8 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Central Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, collapsing buildings, killing at least 16 people and downing phone lines.

President Michele Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile and said the death toll was rising.

Tsunami warnings were issued over a wide area, including South America, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Russia and many Pacific islands.

"We have had a huge earthquake, with some aftershocks," Bachelet said, appealing from an emergency response center for Chileans to remain calm. "Despite this, the system is functioning. People should remain calm. We're doing everything we can with all the forces we have. Any information we will share immediately."

Bachelet said early reports were that 16 people had been killed, and "without a doubt, with an earthquake of this magnitude, there will be more deaths." She urged people to avoid traveling in the dark, since traffic lights are down, to avoid causing more fatalities.

The quake hit 200 miles (325 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Santiago, at a depth of 22 miles (35 kilometers) at 3:34 a.m. (0634 GMT; 1:34 a.m. EST), the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The epicenter was just 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river, and 60 miles from the ski town of Chillan, a gateway to Andean ski resorts that was destroyed in a 1939 earthquake.

In Santiago, the capital, modern buildings are built to withstand earthquakes, but many older ones were heavily damaged, including the Nuestra Senora de la Providencia church, whose bell tower collapsed. An apartment building's two-level parking lot also flattened onto the ground floor, smashing about 50 cars whose alarms and horns rang incessantly. A bridge just outside the capital also collapsed, and at least one car flipped upside down.

In the coastal city of Vina del Mar, the earthquake struck just as people were leaving a disco, Julio Alvarez told Radio Cooperativa in Santiago. "It was very bad, people were screaming, some people were running, others appeared paralyzed. I was one of them."

Bachelet said she was declaring a "state of catastrophe" in 3 central regions of the country, and that while emergency responders were waiting for first light to get details, it was evident that damage was extensive.

She said the initial death toll was 16, "but we cannot dismiss the possibility of more," and encouraged people to stay home and not travel unless strictly necessary.

Several hospitals have been evacuated due to earthquake damage, she said, and communications with the city of Concepcion remained down. She planned to tour the affected region as quickly as possible to get a better idea of the damage.

A huge wave reached a populated area in the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 410 miles (660 kilometers) off the Chilean coast, Bachelet said. There were no immediate reports of major damage there, she added.

"Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts," the warning center said. It did not expect a tsunami along the west of the U.S. or Canada but was continuing to monitor the situation.

The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile on May 22, 1960. The magnitude-9.5 quake killed 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless. The tsunami that it caused killed people in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines and caused damage to the west coast of the United States.

Source: The Star http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/2/27/apworld/20100227160927&sec=apworld

Strengthen Local Democracy and Restore Local Government Election

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) and Penang Chinese Town Hall Youth Section cordially invite all residents to attend our public forum on “Strengthen Local Democracy and Restore Local Government Election” (in English) on 27th Feb 2010, (Saturday) at 8.00pm, 5th Floor, Auditorium A, Komtar, Penang.

The participation of the Penang Chinese Town Hall Youth Section in this event is in support of the project entitled “A 20 Year Plan of Action for Malaysia” by the Federation of Chinese Association of Malaysia (Hua Zong).

The panelists are:

1. Y.B. Chow Kon Yeow, Penang State EXCO for Local Government and Traffic Management;

2. Mr. Mark Ooi Swee Heng, Secretary of Political Caucus Bureau, Penang Gerakan

3. Mr. Jeffrey Phang, Vice President of Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD), a coalition of 17 residents’ association in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya. FOKD is coordinating the “Sustainable Development and Environment Taskforce” within Coalition for Good Governance (CGG);

4. Maria Chin Abdullah, Chairperson of Coalition for Good Governance (CGG).

This is the second time Y.B. Chow has accepted SUARAM's invitation as a government spokesperson to exchange views with the people. This forum offers a golden opportunity for the present government, opposition and civil society to come together to exchange opinions, and make positive suggestions on how to improve good, democratic governance in Penang. This will help make Penang a much, much better place for us all.

Decision on Perak MB today

PUTRAJAYA: The conundrum of who is the rightful Mentri Besar of Perak will be resolved when the five-man Federal Court bench pronounces its ruling Tuesday.

The bench, led by Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, will decide whether Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, 47, of Barisan Nasional retains the post or his predecessor Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, 52, of Pakatan Rakyat, reclaims the office.

The judgment will also determine the constitutional issue of whether a head of state can look beyond the legislature to decide if the head of government has lost the confidence of the majority of the elected representatives.

Besides Alauddin, the other members of the bench are Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria and Federal Court judges Datuk Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, Datuk Wira Ghazali Mohd Yusoff and Datuk Abdull Hamid Embong.

This is the final step in the appeal by Mohammad Nizar in his attempt to reclaim the Mentri Besar post.

Nevertheless, the losing party in a court case can apply to the Federal Court to review its own ruling under Rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court to challenge the constitutional points.

The five-man bench deferred its judgment on Nov 5 last year after having heard submissions in the appeal from counsel representing both Mohammad Nizar and Dr Zambry.

The conflict over who is the rightful Mentri Besar arose last year after three Pakatan assemblymen quit their parties to become independent state assemblymen, leaving Pakatan and Barisan with 28 assemblymen each in the 59-seat Perak legislative assembly.

~ Bernama

UTAR Students Live in Darkness

Dialogue With Young Leaders