The cancellation of the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) by Selangor may not be permanent if it can meet requirements and satisfy residents, caretaker mentri besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari admitted last night. However, he affirmed that the cancellation announced yesterday would not be revisited after the state election on August 12.
“The people are our top priority, and we do not want to jeopardize their livelihood for the sake of development. However, there is a need to further develop Petaling Jaya and introduce a more effective traffic dispersal system, so we shall see again,” he stated. He also mentioned that the developer would have to fulfill conditions set by the state and gain approval from the people for the project to proceed.
The PJD Link, an alternative expressway project, aimed to connect various fast-growing townships with Bandar Utama and Bukit Jalil by constructing a 34.3km dual-carriage expressway with four lanes and eight interchanges/ramps. Initially approved by the previous federal government in April last year, PJD Link bears a resemblance to the cancelled Kidex project in 2015.
Amirudin explained that the proposal was approved in principle on November 12, 2017, by the then Barisan Nasional-controlled federal government. Subsequently, it was submitted for a residential survey in Petaling Jaya in September 2020 and conditional approval was granted by the federal government on November 12, 2021. However, the developer needs to fulfill all requirements set by the Selangor government before proceeding with construction.
An independent survey conducted in May revealed that 93.6 percent of residents residing along the proposed alignment of the PJD Link were against the project. They believed that the proposed highway would result in intolerable noise and air pollution and not alleviate traffic congestion as promised. Additionally, 93.6 percent of the surveyed residents feared negative impacts on themselves and their families.
A residents group called Say No to PJD Link, which opposes the highway, filed a lawsuit in June seeking classified documents from government authorities as they claimed there was a lack of transparency in the conditional approval.
