Jimmy Leow

Citizen Journalist Jimmy Leow’s follow up on the Abandoned Highway at Teluk Kumbar, Penang. A new contractor has been appointed by JKR and the new completion date of this highway is Nov 2010.

Jimmy Leow went to the site to observe the work in progress.

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17423.html

Video by Jimmy Leow Beng Hock, Citizen Journalist

A video produced by me caught the attention of JKR and the state government over the long delay of this highway which is supposed to be completed in Nov 2008. Click below to watch the video.

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17211/abandoned-highway-scars-balik-pulau.html

By now, motorists are supposed to be zipping about on the spanking new highway spanning from Teluk Kumbar to Pekan Genting in Balik Pulau, Penang.

Unfortunately, the brakes have been hit on the project and a video taken by citizen journalist Jimmy Leow last month revealed the sorry state of affairs.

The structure now stands in disjointed, unfinished sections.

A signboard states that it is a Barisan Nasional project, contracted to private firm Bulkers Corporation Sdn Bhd.

It was also stated that the highway would be completed on Sept 3, 2008. However in March that year, voters had shown BN the exit from the island state.

Apart from being an eyesore, the uncompleted project – which is sited next to a busy road – posed a safety risk for motorists.

Readers of journalist Anil Netto’s blog commented that the project has been abandoned for more than two years and it was estimated that the government allocated RM58 million for it.

Citizen journalist and blogger Chan Lilian responded on the blog that several citizen journalists (including her and Leow) has met PKR’s Balik Pulau MP Mohd Yusmadi to discuss the matter.

However, the issue – just like the highway – remained unresolved.

See the response from JKR after this article was published in Malaysiakini.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/107793

Story by Emily Chow, Malaysiakini

I used the old road to Balik Pulau via Teluk Kumbar very frequently and it just did not hit me that there was so much to do as far as the new highway construction was concerned. Maybe it was the gradual change in landscape that did the trick. Taking a lead from my fellow Citizen Journalist, Owen Koh, a team of CJs ventured into the very heart of Balik Pulau and after making good a few assignments, Owen Koh, Chan Lilian and I, took a drive along the old road towards Teluk Kumbar to witness the “half cooked” highway. One requires to blur off all the natural beauty of the hills and the greens of Balik Pulau and focus on the devastating condition of the abandoned highway.

Signs of landslides are frequent from the evidence gathered which we can observed from the side of the hills and it can only get worse with the prolonged halt of this project.

There was this section of the road  which is so narrow that it can only allow a one way flow of traffic from both directions. This can only be done with several traffics lights and these lights are manned by foreign workers. Based on my interview with a foreign “traffic controller”, it seems these narrow roads are monitored 24 hours. When asked if there was any kind of recent construction, he answered no. It seems there was no progress for the past 1 year or so.

At present, the old road  has also a lot of dangerous corners and there was one in particular which I highlighted in my short clip “Abandoned Highway Scars Balik Pulau”. The edge of this road has a drop of at least 30 metres and the worse part is there was not permanent barrier to stop motorists from driving into the ravine.

Since there was a new road construction near this section of the road, a line of plastic barriers were placed. If motorists are not careful, they may rammed through the plastic barriers and plunged into the ravine, a fatal plunge I am sure.

I was able to see these because this time around I rode a motorcycle and try to understand and feel the actual situation. I managed to get close up shots of the abandoned highway and it was shocking indeed.

Based on gathered information, the project was supposed to be completed within the 4th quarter of 2008, but until now, not an inch of this highway is usable. What is holding back the progress of this multi million project or will it become a structure waiting to be swallowed by the jungle of Balik Pulau, Penang?