PETALING JAYA: The concessionaire for the proposed PJD Link has refuted claims that the highway is a rehash of the Kinrara Damansara Expressway (Kidex) that was cancelled in 2015
“Kidex was designed to be a direct link between Damansara and Kinrara in Puchong, effectively bypassing PJ,” said PJD Link CEO Amrish Hari Narayanan.
He said this meant Kidex offered very little benefit to PJ residents. The project failed to get the necessary approvals and was eventually scrapped.
“PJD Link, on the other hand, is designed to be a traffic dispersal system,” Amrish told FMT in an interview.
“It has an additional 11 interchanges and 21 ramps, allowing greater access to surrounding communities.”
It is also connected to major railway lines and highways, he said.
These include LRT3, MRT1, Kelana Jaya LRT, Sri Petaling LRT and KTM as well as the NKVE, LDP, NPE, Federal, Kesas and Bukit Jalil highways.
Amrish said the interchanges, ramps and connections will boost connectivity for PJ residents as they will be able to access more modes of transport servicing the Greater Klang Valley.
He said this was why claims that the PJD Link was a “rebranded Kidex” were inaccurate.
Amrish, a former executive for Kidex, said PJD Link was designed with the feedback of stakeholders, including residents and property owners in PJ.
He said one of the problems with Kidex was its “major encroachment” into residential and commercial land around what is called the “PJ Loop” in the heart of the city.
“The PJD Link, on the other hand, passes through the PJ Loop via industrial and commercial areas. There will also be an entrance ramp from Jalan Kemajuan, and entrance and exit ramps from and to Federal Highway.”
He said the company was actively engaging residents and stakeholders to explain and provide more details on PJD Link and clarify any misconceptions that it is similar to Kidex.
To date, PJD Link has surveyed 3,000 residents and conducted 31 focus group discussions.