George Town, Nov 29 – The Second Penang Bridge will be opened as scheduled by the government although the investigation on the collapse of the second ramp rail of the bridge is still going on.
The Chairman of the State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee, Chow Kon Yeow said the investigation carried out by the commission set up by the state government did not prevent the bridge from being opened according to schedule.
“Besides the probe by the commission, the agency concerned had already submitted its investigation and report to them, and the ministry as well as the Syarikat Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd are responsible in ensuring the safety aspect when the ramp is opened to traffic.
“Actually, the road under the ramp is already open to traffic. They will be responsible for the safety of the ramp,” he said when replying to a supplementary question from Wong Hon Wai (DAP-Air Itam) at the State Legislative Assembly sitting, here Friday.
Wong wanted to know whether the state government planned to extend the period of investigation on the Second Penang Bridge.
In the incident on June 6, the concrete ramp at the exit road of the Second Penang Bridge at Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu in Batu Maung, collapsed and resulted in one individual being killed while three others were injured.
On July 6, The Director-General of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Datuk Ir Dr Johari Basri confirmed that the department found there were elements of negligence in terms of procedure and technical aspects by the contractor.
– Bernama
