Penang Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Penang Bridge | |
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| Official name | Penang Bridge |
| Malay name | Jambatan Pulau Pinang |
| Locale | Penang Bridge, North-South Expressway Northern Route |
| Carries | Motor vehicles |
| Crosses | South Channel, Penang |
| Longest span | 225m |
| Total length | 13.5km |
| Width | -- |
| Opening date | 1985 |
| Maintained by | PLUS Expressway Berhad Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd |
| Design | cable stayed bridge |
| Designer/clients | Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) United Engineers Malaysia Berhad (UEM) |
| Contractor/construction | Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company (Korea) Ltd United Engineers Malaysia Berhad (UEM) |
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| E1 expressway | |
| Length | 13.5 km |
| Direction | east→west |
| Start | Prai |
| Main destinations | Prai, Gelugor |
| End | Gelugor |
| Construction dates | 1982 - 1985 |
| Expressways joined | Butterworth Outer Ring Road, North-South Expressway, Jelutong Expressway |
The Penang Bridge (Jambatan Pulau Pinang in Malay) is a dual-carriageway toll bridge that connects Gelugor on the island of Penang and Seberang Prai on the mainland of Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula. The bridge is also linked to the North-South Expressway in Prai and Jelutong Expressway in Penang. It was officially opened to traffic on September 14, 1985. The total length of the bridge is 13.5 km, making it among the longest bridges in the world as well as a national landmark. Plus Expressway Berhad is the concession holder who manages it.
Before 1985, transportation between the island and the mainland was solely dependent on the state-owned ferry services that runs between Butterworth and George Town.
Similar to the ferry services in Penang, motorists only need to pay the toll fare while heading to the island. There is no charge for leaving the island.
Currently, the Penang Bridge is being expanded from 4 lanes to 6 lanes to accommodate the increasing traffic on the bridge. A proposal for a second bridge, the Penang Second Bridge, has been approved by the government and included as one of the Ninth Malaysian Plan national projects.
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[edit] Bridge specifications
- Overall Length: 13.5 km (8.4 miles)
- Length Over Water: 8.4 km (5.2 miles)
- Penang Island Viaduct & Approach: 1.5 km (0.9 miles)
- Prai Approach: 3.6 km (2.2 miles)
- Carriageway: 2 lanes per carriageway except in the central span where it is 3. Work to widen the entire bridge to 3 lanes per carriageway has begun.
- Height of Tower Above Water: 101.5 m
- Height of Bridge Above Water: 33 m
- Main Span: 225 m
- End Span: 107.5 m
- Other Span: 40 m
- Speed limit: 80 km/h
[edit] Features
The bridge has an SOS emergency feature and traffic CCTV. The Gelugor Complex Interchange is the largest highway interchange in Malaysia.
[edit] Toll rates
Since 1985, Penang Bridge is a tolled bridge. The first concession was a government body, Malaysian Highway Authority. Since 1993, toll collection has been undertaken by a private concession company, Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd. This is a list of toll rates for various vehicles crossing the bridge.
| Class | Type of vehicles | Rate (in Malaysian Ringgit (RM)) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motorcycles | RM 1.40 |
| 2 | Motorcycle with sidecars, cars including station wagon and commercial vehicles on three wheels | RM 7.00 |
| 3 | Lorries, vans and buses with two axles and four wheels | RM 12.00 |
| 4 | Lorries, vans and buses with two axles and five and six wheels | RM 25.00 |
| 5 | Vehicles with three axles | RM 45.00 |
| 6 | Vehicles with four axles | RM 60.00 |
| 7 | Vehicles with five and more axles | RM 75.00 |
- Note: Touch 'n Go is also available for light vehicles and motorcycles. Smart TAG lane are for light vehicles only. As part of the concessionaire's initiative to increase use of the more efficient electronic payment system, Touch 'n Go and Smart TAG, users receive a 20% discount on the Penang Bridge toll.
[edit] List of Interchanges
This is a list of interchanges of the Penang Bridge.
| Km | Exit | Interchange | To | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E 1NORTH-SOUTH EXPRESSWAY NORTHERN ROUTE NORTH Sungai Petani Alor Star Bukit Kayu Hitam |
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| Perai | EAST 1Bukit Mertajam WEST E 17 1 BUTTERWORTH OUTER RING ROAD 1Perai 1Butterworth |
Parcelo cloverleaf interchange | ||
| A B |
Penang Bridge | INTERCHANGE A E 1AH 2NORTH-SOUTH EXPRESSWAY NORTHERN ROUTE SOUTH Taiping Ipoh Kuala Lumpur INTERCHANGE B Perai Industrial Area Jalan Perusahaan |
INTERCHANGE A Stacked expressway interchange INTERCHANGE B Cloverleaf interchange |
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| Perai toll plaza PBSB TnG TAG CSC |
TAG TnG TnG POS RM (Cash) | Enter bridge only Open toll system Pay toll |
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| Penang Bridge 13.5 kilometres |
Start/End of Bridge | |||
| Penang Bridge | Central span cable stayed bridge six lane carriageway |
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| Penang Bridge 13.5 kilometres |
Start/End of Bridge | |||
| Gelugor | SOUTH Bayan Lepas Penang International Airport WEST Gelugor Jalan Gelugor Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) NORTH Jalan Tengku Kudin 1331JELUTONG EXPRESSWAY George Town |
Stacked expressway interchange | ||
| WEST | Universiti Sains Malaysia | Gelugor Jalan Gelugor Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) |
Trumpet interchange | |
| NORTH | Jalan Tengku Kudin | Jalan Tengku Kudin Jalan Masjid Negeri |
Interchange from/to Penang Bridge and Bayan Lepas only | |
| 1331JELUTONG EXPRESSWAY George Town |
PLUS Expressway border limit JKR and MPPP border limit |
[edit] Interesting facts
- Penang Bridge toll plaza (Prai) is the first toll plaza in Malaysia to introduce toll payment by Contactless Smart Card.
- Penang Bridge toll plaza (Prai) is the first toll plaza in Malaysia with smart card payment for all classes of vehicles.
[edit] Major events
[edit] Penang Bridge International Marathon
The Penang Bridge International Marathon is held every year since 1985.
The premier run in Malaysia to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the opening of Penang Bridge, the Penang Bridge International Marathon, had been held on July 30, 2006 in Penang.
Participants ran over the third longest bridge in the world - the Penang Bridge - and along a scenic coastal highway. This is the only time of the year when the bridge is closed for several hours.
The biggest run in the country incorporates a marathon, a half-marathon and a quarter-marathon. The Run catered both to serious runners and amateur ones. It promoted healthy living and built a sense of community.
This is in addition to trophies, finisher medals, certificates and prizes donated by sponsors. In the past, this has included air tickets, hotel stays and household electrical goods.
The run was jointly organised by the Municipal Council of Penang Island (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang) and Malaysian Highway Authority with the co-operation of the Penang Government, the Penang Amateur Athletic Association, the Penang Youth and Sports Department , University Science Malaysia, Penang Tourism Action Council and Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd.
For more information see also Penang Bridge International Marathon website
[edit] See also
- Penang Second Bridge
- Penang
- North-South Expressway
- Jelutong Expressway
- Touch 'n Go
- Smart TAG
- Road signs in Malaysia
- Malaysian Federal Roads system
- Malaysian State Roads system
- Malaysian expressway system
[edit] External links
- PLUS Expressway Berhad
- Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd
- Malaysian Highway Authotity
- Satellite Image of the Penang Bridge at Google Maps
- Penang Bridge Blog - maintained by Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd, the bridge's operator
