Penang’s Air Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu E’way Bypass delayed by financial issues, final deadline April 2027

Penangnites have been hearing about the Air Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway Bypass project – touted to cut peak-hour travel time between Air Itam and the coastal expressway to just 5-10 minutes – for some time now, and many have been wondering if there are issues behind the slow progress. Well, it’s now confirmed that the issue is financial.

Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow admitted that the delay in the completion of the toll-free dual carriageway is due to financial issues of the project concessionaire, which is Consortium Zenith Construction (CZC) under Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC), Malay Mail reported.

“There are delays but works are still in progress, the final deadline is April next year,” Chow said yesterday when asked by the media in George Town. Responding to criticism that the project has dragged for 14 years, the CM said the contract was only awarded in 2020 before physical works started in 2021. The pandemic is not an excuse. “Covid has already passed. We cannot continue using the same excuse,” he added.

According to the report, the RM851 million ‘Package Two’ highway stretch is around 6km long. The project started in February 2021 and was originally expected to be completed in 2025, but in November last year, PIC said the project was given an extension of time (EOT) in 2023 for a new completion date of October 31, 2026. A second EOT was approved in mid-2025 with the completion date set for April 12, 2027.

The image above is of Penang’s Bukit Kukus paired roads, a challenging project that opened to traffic in 2022. At 60 metres, it’s Malaysia’s highest elevated road, overtaking the 58.2m Rawang Bypass in Selangor. It’s unrelated to the delayed bypass project and is merely here for illustration purposes.

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