PENANG SECOND BRIDGE TO HAVE MOTORCYCLE LANES

PENANG (Malaysia), Nov 18 (Bernama) -- Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat
announced Monday that the Second Penang Bridge would have motorcycle lanes for
safety reason.

He said the inclusion of a motorcyclist lane on each side of the RM2.7
billion bridge was in the federal government's plan.

"Each Malaysian ringgit spent on the motorcycle lanes would give a six-fold
return in effectiveness," he told reporters after opening the 49th annual
general meeting of the Malaysian Road Safety Council, here, Monday.

Penang is a state in Malaysia, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular
Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca.

The Second Penang Bridge will link Batu Maung on the island to Batu
Kawan on the mainland after the existing 13km Penang Bridge linking Georgetown
to Seberang Jaya, completed in 1986, has become congested, especially during
peak hours.

Meanwhile, he said, work was now in progress to upgrade the Penang
International Airport to accommodate the Airbus 380 and Boeing 747 as the
airport was to be a logistics hub for the Northern Corridor Economic Region
(NCER).

He said Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad commenced the work a few months
ago after the matter was raised in June this year.

On dredging at the Penang Port, he said work to deepen the North Channel at
the mainland side was also in progress as the port's handling capacity continued
to increase.

Dredging of the North Channel to deepen it to 14.5 metres from 11.5 metres
was supposed to be carried out between 2010 and 2012 to serve mother vessels
calling at the port.

The Penang Port's expansion and upgrading is one of the infrastructural
projects outlined in the NCER blueprint.

-- BERNAMA