Penang Bridge 槟威大桥

The Penang Bridge (Jambatan Pulau Pinang in Malay) is a dual-carriageway toll bridge that connects Gelugor on the island of Penang and Seberang Prai on the mainland of Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula. The bridge is also linked to the North-South Expressway in Prai and Jelutong Expressway in Penang. It was officially opened to traffic on September 14, 1985. The total length of the bridge is 13.5 km (8.4 miles), making it among the longest bridges in the world, the longest bridge in the country as well as a national landmark. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd (PBSB) is the concession holder which manages it. The bridge was designed by a local Penang resident, Tan Sri Datuk Professor Ir. Chin Fung Kee, a well known authority in geotechnical engineering and former acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Malaya.

Before 1985, transportation between the island and the mainland was solely dependent on the state-owned Penang Ferry Service that runs between Butterworth and George Town. Similar to the ferry services in Penang, toll is only paid when heading to the island. There is no charge for leaving the island.

Currently, the Penang Bridge handles 65,000 vehicles daily and has a capacity of handling 85,000 vehicles daily. It has been expanded from 4 lanes to 6 lanes to accommodate the increasing traffic on the bridge. A proposal for a second bridge, the Penang Second Bridge, has been approved by the Malaysian federal government and included as one of the Ninth Malaysia Plan national projects. Construction work of the new Penang Second Bridge began in November 2008, and the target completion date is year 2013.

Recently, the Penang Bridge was assigned its own route number 36.


槟威大桥于1979年开始兴建，1985年建成通车。大桥跨跃面方海峡，把海峡两岸的槟榔屿与马来半岛上的威斯利连接起来，所以称为槟威大桥。大桥长达8320米，是世界上第三大桥，桥拱下可通行万吨巨轮。

槟威大桥的建成，使槟榔屿的旅游业得到进一步发展。人们可以开车从吉隆坡出发，取道南北高速公路直达槟城，当从桥上驶过时还可领略海港风光。从马来半岛到槟城要收过桥费，但从槟城到大陆旅行则勿须交付任何过路费。从大陆到槟城也可以坐渡轮，由于渡轮收费低廉，很多人仍喜欢乘渡轮过海峡。

槟威大桥位于马来西亚槟城州，是槟城州的著名地标。这长达13.5公里的大桥连接槟城州的槟岛和对岸的威省。在威省，槟威大桥和南北大道相接，可直接通往马来西亚半岛西海岸的大小城镇或北上泰国和南下新加坡。 槟威大桥在1985年9月14日正式通车。在1985年之前，渡轮是通往槟岛和威省之间的主要交通工具。

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