Congestion down at upgraded Jalan Masjid Negeri

GEORGE TOWN: A newly upgraded stretch of Jalan Masjid Negeri here has reduced traffic congestion during rush hour by some 15% according to the Penang Island City Council Engineering Department deputy director A. Rajendran.

He said the 600m stretch had been widened between 12m and 16m under a RM7.29 million project which was completed earlier this month.

Rajendran said other improvements to the section of road near the Jalan Udini roundabout include a U-turn just before the roundabout with dedicated entry and exit lanes.

He said removing the traffic lights at the Jalan Masjid Negeri and Jalan Delima intersection also allowed for smoother traffic flow.

“The Council is continuously monitoring the traffic flow so as to be able to further fine tune the system,” he said in a press conference today together with Penang Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow.

On the delay of the project originally scheduled for completion in Sept 2013, Chow said relocating trees and underground utility cables and pipes took up a lot of time.

He said there were 60 trees along the upgraded section which were relocated while utility companies had to remove and replace their pipes and cables.

“Relocating the trees caused a 10-month delay while removing and replacing utility cables and pipes caused an eight-month delay,” he said.