Transportation

TWO assemblymen are urging Selangor government to “bury” the proposed Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) highway project.

“Enough. Let this project die. Let this project be buried,” said Lim Yi Wei (PH-Kampung Tunku) while debating the royal address at the State Assembly sitting.

Lim said she had heard that the PJD Link developer was planning to renegotiate the alignment of the highway to avoid areas where it had faced plenty of protests.

"If PJD Link were to change the alignment, they would have to discuss with the Federal Government and start from zero (beginning),” said Lim, who arrived to the sitting late after a minor car accident in the morning.

She said even though the highway’s proposed alignment did not affect her constituency greatly, it would still garner a lot of protest if it affected any other areas in Petaling Jaya.

Last year, residents were relieved when the state government cancelled PJD Link, which replaced a previous controversial highway project called Kidex in 2014, she said.

Lim added that it had been 10 years since the project was first highlighted and it was time to put an end to it and focus on improving public transportation with the launch of Selangor Mobility, which aimed to integrate public transportation elements.

During Wednesday’s sitting, Rajiv Rishyakaran (PH-Bukit Gasing) had also called for PJD Link to be put to rest once and for all.

He suggested that another MRT or LRT line be built to address traffic issues instead.

“Besides the public objection, it is doubtful if a highway will be able to solve the traffic issue.

“Even the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) cannot solve the traffic problem,” he said.

On July 31, 2023, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari had announced the decision to scrap the project, stating that the proposed PJD Link did not fulfil conditions laid out by the Selangor government, mainly in areas of possible social impact.

Since then, the developer had been meeting with Selangor Economic Action Council (MTES) to try and revive the project.