GEORGE TOWN: The Tan Jetty, one of the seven remaining Chinese clan jetties off Weld Quay here, will get its decaying boardwalks replaced, thanks to the chief minister’s parliamentary grant of RM175,035.
The wooden boardwalks, connecting the clanhomes at the jetty, have shown signs of decay and becoming dangerous for residents and tourists.
The state government has also received numerous complaints from residents on the matter.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government, via the district office, had conducted periodic repair works two to three years ago.
However, he said, the situation has become dire, prompting him to utilise part of his RM3 million parliamentary allocation as Tanjong member of parliament for the major repair works.
“If we did not repair it, it will affect the stability of the jetty,” he told reporters during a site visit today.
Chow said the decaying broadwalks will be replaced with the more durable cengal wood. Other works involved, among others, included the installation of 192 new pilings and beams to reinforce the boardwalk.
He said the project started on Oct 21 and expected to be completed by Dec 15.
Chow said the jetty is currently closed to public.
The clan jetties are a popular tourist spots, with hundreds of tourists thronging the broadwalks daily and new businesses cropping up on an almost monthly basis.