GEORGE TOWN, Oct 16 — There will not be any major traffic disruption during the construction of the Mount Erskine Underpass, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
The Penang lawmaker said the RM25 million project involves digging an underpass to connect Mount Erskine Road to Burmah Road.
“It is cutting a part of the road, traffic can still go on above,” he told reporters at a press conference after attending the Amcham Penang Dialogue 2025: Recalibrating Malaysia at Iconic Marjorie Hotel here.
He added that the roads from Mount Erskine leading to Gottlieb Road and Jalan Bagan Jermal are expected to remain open during construction.
“There will not be full closure of the intersection as the underpass only involves Jalan Mount Erskine to Burmah Road,” he said.
On the design of the underpass, he noted that construction of underpasses in Penang is not new.
“Just look at Udini Road, it’s also an underpass so it’s not new,” he said.
He explained that Udini Road has reduced the need for traffic lights, and the Mount Erskine Underpass is expected to cut traffic light phases from four to three or two.
“This is because you will be taking the underpass directly from Mount Erskine to Burmah Road,” he said.
Chow added that the Penang Island City Council had completed land acquisition for the project a few years ago.
The state is now awaiting details from the federal government, as the project was approved under Budget 2026.
“We are still waiting to see whether it will be implemented during the first year, the second year or so on,” he said.
He said Putrajaya will provide the details later.
Source: https://www.malaymail.com/
