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 (8.4 miles), making it among the longest bridges in the world, the longest bridge in the country as well as a national landmark. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd (PBSB) is the concession holder which manages it. The bridge was designed by a local Penang resident, Tan Sri Datuk Professor Ir. Chin Fung Kee, a well known authority in geotechnical engineering and former acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Malaya.
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.
Similar to the ferry services in Penang, toll is only paid when 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 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, the Penang Bridge was assigned its own route number of Шаблон:MES-E.
The Kilometre Zero of the expressway starts at Perai Interchange of the Tun Hussein Onn Highway.
When the bridge was originally constructed, the central span had six lanes, while the rest of the bridge had four lanes. There is an ongoing project to have the entire bridge widened to six lanes. Work on the project began on January 2008 and is expected to be completed in late 2009.
The bridge has an SOS emergency feature and traffic CCTV. The Gelugor Complex Interchange is the largest highway interchange in Malaysia.
Since 1985, Penang Bridge has been a tolled bridge. The toll is charged as you enter the bridge from the mainland end towards Penang Island. There is no toll imposed for mainland-bound motorists coming from the island.
The first concession was a government body, the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA). Since 1993, toll collection has been undertaken by a private concession company, Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd.
This table below 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 |
This is a list of interchanges of the Penang Bridge.
km | Exit | Interchange | To | Remarks | |
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Шаблон:MES-E Шаблон:AHN-AHNORTH-SOUTH
EXPRESSWAY NORTHERN ROUTE NORTH Alor Star Permatang Pauh |
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Шаблон:MES-E Шаблон:AHN-AH
NORTH-SOUTH EXPRESSWAY NORTHERN ROUTE PLUS Expressways border limit |
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Шаблон:MES-E PENANG
BRIDGE (TUN HUSSEIN ONN HIGHWAY) PBSB border limit |
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Шаблон:MES-E 0 |
PERAI INTERCHANGE |
NORTHWEST Шаблон:MES-E Шаблон:JKR BUTTERWORTH OUTER RING ROAD Шаблон:JKRPerai Шаблон:JKRButterworth SOUTHEAST Шаблон:JKR BUTTERWORTH-KULIM HIGHWAY Шаблон:JKRBukit Mertajam |
Parcelo cloverleaf interchange | ||
Railway crossing bridge | |||||
Шаблон:MES-EXIT Шаблон:MES-EXIT |
PENANG BRIDGE INTERCHANGE |
Шаблон:MES-EXIT Шаблон:MES-E Шаблон:AHN-AHNORTH-SOUTH EXPRESSWAY NORTHERN ROUTE SOUTH Kuala Lumpur Ipoh Bukit Tambun Шаблон:MES-EXIT Шаблон:JKR JALAN PERUSAHAAN PERAI NORTHWEST Perai Industrial Area SOUTHEAST Juru |
Шаблон:MES-EXIT Stacked expressway interchange Шаблон:MES-EXIT Cloverleaf interchange |
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Шаблон:MES-E PENANG
BRIDGE (TUN HUSSEIN ONN HIGHWAY) |
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Шаблон:MES-E PENANG BRIDGE |
km | Exit | Interchange | To | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
U-Turn |
U-TURN Шаблон:MES-E TUN HUSSEIN ONN HIGHWAY Perai Butterworth Шаблон:Parking signs Шаблон:TnG TAG |
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Perai toll plaza (PLAZA A) (Enter bridge only) PBSB Шаблон:TAG Шаблон:TnG Шаблон:TnG POS Шаблон:RM Opened toll system Pay toll |
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Perai toll plaza (PLAZA B) (Enter bridge only) PBSB Шаблон:TAG Шаблон:TnG Шаблон:TnG POS Шаблон:RM Opened toll system Pay toll |
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Шаблон:Parking
Layby signs Perai toll plaza PBSB |
Шаблон:Parking signs Шаблон:TnG TAG | Enter bridge only | |||
U-Turn |
U-TURN Шаблон:MES-E PENANG BRIDGE George Town Bayan Lepas Шаблон:Parking signs Шаблон:TnG TAG |
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Penang Bridge 13.5 kilometres |
Start/End of Bridge Six lane carriageway |
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Шаблон:MES-E 5 |
Penang Bridge | ||||
5.1 - 5.9 | Penang Bridge | Central span Cable stayed bridge |
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Шаблон:MES-E 6 |
Penang Bridge | ||||
Penang Bridge 13.5 kilometres |
Start/End of Bridge Six lane carriageway |
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Шаблон:MES-EXIT Шаблон:MES-EXIT Шаблон:MES-EXIT |
GELUGOR INTERCHANGE |
Шаблон:MES-EXIT
NORTH Jalan Tunku Kudin Air Itam Шаблон:JKR JELUTONG EXPRESSWAY George Town Шаблон:MES-EXIT WEST Шаблон:JKRGELUGOR HIGHWAY Шаблон:LLM office Gelugor Jalan Gelugor Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Шаблон:MES-EXIT SOUTH Шаблон:JKR BAYAN LEPAS EXPRESSWAY Bayan Lepas Penang International Airport Шаблон:Airport signs |
Stacked expressway interchange |
km | Exit | Interchange | To | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
Шаблон:LLM office | ||||
Шаблон:MES-EXIT WEST |
UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA INTERCHANGE |
Шаблон:JKR GELUGOR
HIGHWAY NORTH Gelugor Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) SOUTH Sungai Nibong Bayan Lepas Penang International Airport Шаблон:Airport signs |
Trumpet interchange |
km | Exit | Interchange | To | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tesco Penang | Шаблон:Parking signs | ||||
Шаблон:MES-EXIT NORTH |
JALAN TUNKU KUDIN INTERCHANGE |
WEST Шаблон:JKR(P) PENANG MIDDLE RING ROAD JALAN TENGKU KUDIN Jalan Masjid Negeri Air Itam |
Interchange from/to Penang Bridge and Bayan Lepas only | ||
Шаблон:MES-E(2)
PENANG BRIDGE PBSB border limit |
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Шаблон:JKR JELUTONG
EXPRESSWAY JKR and MPPP border limit |
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NORTH Шаблон:JKR JELUTONG EXPRESSWAY George Town |
The Penang Bridge International Marathon is held every year since 1985.
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 Penang Municipal Council (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