Penang Bridge

The Penang Bridge is no doubt one of the many architecture wonders of Penang. Ranks as the longest bridge in Asia and 5th largest in the world, the iconic bridge that took 5 years to complete was the beloved bridge for every Penangtes. It marks the new milestone that brings Penang closer to the world attention.The dual-carriageway bridge connecting Gelugor on the island of Penang and Seberang Prai on the mainland of Malaysia has become a symbol of pride and national landmarks.
Its distinctive design and features saw the Penang Bridge won many awards.
1986 - Grand Award in the United States of America Engineering Excellence Competition sponsored by the Council of Consulting Engineers, Washington.
1993 - FIABCI Special Award (Development and Construction Phase Category) from the International Real Estate Federation of Malaysia.The bridge also play host to an annual Penang Bridge Run since its inception and has become a very popular event ever since. Local & international participant took part in a run that incorporates a marathon, a half-marathon and a quarter-marathon.Perhaps, it was the broad & bold vision of the then prime minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir that the mega scale construction could be realize.





The History of Penang Bridge
In actual fact, the talk about having a bridge linking to Penang was first mooted out in 1950s when traffic condition is in deep chaos. During that time, Penang economy was booming, causing a massive congestion on the Ferry terminal. Ferry’s during that time was the only mode of transport to connect Penang Island to the Mainland.Some suggesting extending the ferry’s service, building a tunnel and some come out with the ideas of a bridge. However the bridge stood out as the firm favorites for the Penangtes. Many hope that with the bridge, their long battle with endless jammed will be eliminated thus brings more business & prosperity to the island.Using the Penang Bridge as manifesto, Dr Lim Chong Eu, former Chief Minister of Penang swept to a landslide victory in Penang party election in 1950s. After that, Penang Bridge has become a standing joke of town as nothing materializes. It has face many obstacle - High construction cost, opposition objection & complication of building such a massive project.
The dream of having a bridge finally triumph when Dr Mahathir took over as Malaysia prime minister. He pushed on with the mega scale project despite many objection and obstacle. His persistency and acute thinking made the reality of Penang having a bridge comes true.On 23 July 1981, Work Minister S. Samy Velu announced that the Penang Bridge would be constructed using the cable-stayed concrete girder of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge instead of the steel-tied arch in the style of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This marks the starts of massive construction projects that will be implemented.
Dr Mahathir sank the first pile in April 1982 to kick off the grand projects and the dream of having a bridge in Penang finally becomes a reality. There will be no more u-turn, says a beaming Mr Loh - One of the many Penangtes that supported the bridge projects from the beginning.