REPAIR works on a damaged 21-inch diameter underground pipe, measuring 13 metres in length, along Burmah Road will be carried out at night to reduce traffic congestion, says Penang Island City Council (MBPP) mayor Datuk A. Rajendran.
Rajendran, who visited the site together with the Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) Operations head Oung Chee Kuan, MBPP Engineering Department director Cheah Chin Kooi, and council’s senior engineer Mohd Nasrul Nizam Nasri, said two options were considered – whether to allow repair works throughout the day or restrict them to only night hours.
“If we do it during the day, only one traffic lane can remain open. But this will cause serious traffic problems because vehicles from Penang Road and nearby junctions would all be jammed.
“After discussions with IWK, we agreed the works should be carried out at night,” he told reporters during his site visit today.
He said by limiting works to night hours, two lanes could still be maintained for traffic flow.
“Although this will not solve the congestion entirely, at least the traffic impact can be reduced.
“The work will be done every night and we will allow them to start earlier in the evening so that the repair works can be done aa soon as possible,” he said.
Rajendran noted that residents and traders in the affected area had raised concerns about disruptions if the works were dragged on.
“The leakage was detected on Saturday morning and we immediately reported it to IWK. They took prompt action to check the source of the problem and began repair works. We hope the works can completed quickly,” he said.
When asked on the cost of the project, Rajendran said the figure has not been finalised yet.
He said IWK had carried out detection works yesterday to trace the problem and by yesterday morning, they confirmed that the entire 13-metre section needed to be replaced.
“The repair is expected to take about five days, according to their target, but we have asked IWK to reduce the duration by working at night and early morning. Two lanes will remain open at all times for traffic, and only at night one lane may be closed to allow the repair,” Rajendran said.
He explained that while the damaged pipe measured 13 metres, the traffic impact could stretch further.
“The affected stretch is from this section up to Penang Road, covering about 200 metres. However, the excavation itself may only cover about 20 metres. The impact on traffic flow may be wider,” he said.
Rajendran stressed that the council would monitor the works closely, hoping the works can be wrapped up soon for the convenience of motorists.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Siew Chia En