Penang Bridge

The Penang Bridge (Malay: Jambatan Pulau Pinang) is a dual carriageway toll bridge connects George Town 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 Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway in Penang. It was officially opened to traffic on 14 September 1985. The total length of the bridge is 13.5 km, making it the second longest bridge in Malaysia as and the fifth-longest in Southeast Asia. The bridge was designed by Penang resident, Professor Chin Fung Kee, a well known civil engineer. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd (PBSB) is the concession holder which manages it but now it is a member company of PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) with its subsidiary Projek Lebuhraya Usahasama Berhad.

Before 1985, transportation between the island and the mainland was solely dependent on the state-owned Penang Ferry Service that runs between Butterworth and George Town. Toll fees is only paid when heading to the island. There is no charge for leaving the island.

Currently, Penang Bridge handles 65,000 vehicles daily and has a capacity of handling 85,000 vehicles daily. It has been expanded from 4 lanes to 6 lanes to accommodate increasing traffic on the bridge. A proposal for second bridge, the Penang Second Bridge, has been approved by the Malaysian federal government and included as one of the Ninth Malaysia Plan national projects. Construction work of the new Penang Second Bridge began in November 2008, and the target completion date is year 2013.

Recently, Penang Bridge was assigned with the route number.

Route background
The Kilometre Zero of the expressway starts at Perai Interchange of the Tun Hussein Onn Highway.

Penang Bridge Widening Project
When the bridge was originally constructed, the central span had six lanes, while the rest of the bridge had four lanes. There was an ongoing project to have the entire bridge widened to six lanes. Work on the project began on January 2008 and was completed in late 2009.


 * Penang Bridge Widening Project on YouTube

Bridge specifications



 * Overall Length: 13.5 km
 * Length Over Water: 8.4 km
 * Penang Island Viaduct & Approach: 1.5 km
 * Prai Approach: 3.6 km
 * Carriageway: 3 lanes per carriageway
 * 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
 *  Maximum Gradient: 3.0%

Features
The bridge has an SOS emergency feature and traffic CCTV. The Gelugor Complex Interchange is the largest highway interchange in Malaysia. The bridge has a Tenaga Nasional TNB's 132kV power cable.

Overview
Since 1985, Penang Bridge has been a tolled bridge. Fees are charged one way, when entering the bridge from the mainland and traveling towards Penang Island. There are no fees imposed for mainland-bound motorists coming from the island. Since 1994, the tolls have been collected by a private concession company, Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd (PBSB), which has become a member company of PLUS Malaysia Berhad with its subsidiary Projek Lebuhraya Usahasama Berhad.

Toll rates

 * Note: Touch 'n Go is also available for light vehicles and motorcycles. The Smart TAG lane is for light vehicles only. In order to increase the use of the more efficient electronic payment system, any user with a Touch 'n Go card (and Smart TAG) issued from the Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd office will receive a 20% discount on the Penang Bridge toll.

List of Interchanges
This is a list of interchanges of Penang Bridge.

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.
 * After construction works of Penang Bridge were completed in 1985, Penang Island became the first island in Malaysia to be connected to the mainland through land transport.

The Penang Bridge Commemorative Postage Stamps
The Commemorative Postage Stamps to mark the opening of the Penang Bridge on 1985 was issued by then the Malaysian Postal Services Department (now Pos Malaysia) on 15 September 1985. The denominations for these stamps were 20 cents, 40 cents, and RM 1.00.

Allianz Penang Bridge International Marathon
The Allianz Penang Bridge International Marathon has been held every year since 1985.

Participants run over the longest bridge in Malaysia, 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 has been jointly organised by the Penang Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang) and Malaysian Highway Authority.

For more information, see the Allianz Penang Bridge International Marathon website.