Second Penang Bridge

Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Bridge, popularly called the Second Penang Bridge, is a 24-kilometer bridge linking Penang Island to Penang Mainland. It is a dual carriageway toll bridge in Penang, Malaysia.

It connects Bandar Cassia (Batu Kawan) in Seberang Perai on mainland Peninsular Malaysia with Batu Maung on Penang Island. It was renamed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak after Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah, the Sultan of Kedah and the reigning Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

The total length of the bridge is 24 km (15 mi) with length over water at 16.9 km (10.5 mi), making it the longest bridge in Malaysia and the longest in Southeast Asia.

China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd (CHEC), a main contractor for the second bridge was expected to start work on the second Penang bridge in November 2007 and complete the project in 2011, but the completion date was then postponed to May 2012, and later to February 2014.

Construction actually started in November 2008. To reduce the cost of construction, its design was then modified to resemble the first cable stayed Penang Bridge.

The bridge has been built with a large loan from the People's Republic of China to continue and maintain the economic relationship between China and Malaysia. The bridge was officially opened on 1 March 2014 at 20:30 MST and was named after the fourteen Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah of Kedah and was assigned with the route number E28.

How to use the Second Penang Bridge

Toll is collected for use of the Second Penang Bridge for motorists travelling from the mainland to Penang Island. Passage in the opposite direction is toll-free, as in the case with the first Penang Bridge and the ferry. With the opening of the bridge, motorists enjoy free use of the bridge through 31 March, 2014.

Toll collection for the Second Penang Bridge follows a complicated yet logical scheme. There are two toll plazas. The first is called the Integrated Toll Plaza while the second is called the Second Penang Bridge Toll Plaza.

All motorists exiting the North-South Expressway enters the Integrated Toll Plaza. It has two sides, Plaza A on the right and Plaza B on the left.

You can see both Plaza A and Plaza B from far as you approach the Integrated Toll Plaza. Both will take you to Penang Island. You should head for Plaza A, unless you see that it is already congested. Using it, you will pass through a single toll gate (as opposed to two, if you use Plaza B).

At Plaza A, an integrated toll is collected for your passage through the North-South Expressway as well as your pending use of the Second Penang Bridge. After exiting Plaza A, you continue directly to the bridge.

If the queue at Plaza A is long, you can decide to use Plaza B instead. Here, toll is collected only for your passage on the North-South Expressway. After exiting it, you can either take the exit ramp to Bandar Cassia in Seberang Perai, or proceed to the Second Penang Bridge Toll Plaza. The Second Penang Bridge Toll Plaza (bypassed by those who paid at Plaza A), is for toll collection of motorists entering the bridge from Bandar Cassia. It also serves spillover traffic from the North-South Expressway.

Motorists from the North-South Expressway who chose Plaza B have to pass through two toll gates, paying separate tolls for use of the expressway and then the bridge, whereas motorists choosing Plaza A pay the total toll for use of both. Plaza B is actually intended for motorists heading for Bandar Cassia, but serves as a back-up whenever Plaza A becomes too congested.

Second Penang Bridge Exits

The Second Penang Bridge is assigned the Malaysian expressway route number of E28. It will be linked to the North-South Expressway Northern Route (E1) with a new Batu Kawan Interchange. The Batu Kawan-NSE Interchange will be Exit 157 from the North-South Expressway. It is also called Exit 2800 if you enter it from the Second Penang Bridge

There are two exits on the bridge. The first is Exit 2801. Called the Bandar Cassia Interchange, it is a cloverleaf interchange for going to Bandar Cassia, the new township in Batu Kawan. The interchange is located between the Integrated Toll Plaza and Second Penang Bridge Toll Plaza.

The second exit is Exit 2801, or Batu Maung Interchange. This is on the island end of the Second Penang Bridge. The Batu Maung Interchange is a directional-Y interchange with elevated ramps connecting it to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway. Follow the directional signs to head north for George Town, or south for Batu Maung.

Attractions in Penang