PJD Link will give B40 a boost, says concessionaire

 

People living in Taman Medan have to endure traffic jams on a nearly daily basis.

PETALING JAYA: The proposed PJD Link will give a boost to lower-income communities in Petaling Jaya through increased connectivity and accessibility throughout the Greater Klang Valley, says its concessionaire.

PJD Link CEO Amrish Hari Narayanan said the highway will provide much-needed connectivity between the north and south of Petaling Jaya, including for those living in low-cost housing areas in Taman Medan and Kayu Ara.

“These areas experience gridlocks in their neighbourhood roads during peak hours on an almost daily basis because motorists are using them to travel between the north and south,” Amrish told FMT.

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As a result, many working-class people living in the area have to spend hours in traffic on the LDP and SPRINT just to commute to work and back.

“PJD Link will provide an alternative route to the LDP and residents can easily travel between north and south of Petaling Jaya,” he said.

At the same time, the dispersal expressway will allow those outside Taman Medan and Kayu Ara access to these areas, benefiting small businesses there.

Amrish also said the PJD Link will provide better connectivity and ease of access for those in the bottom 40 (B40) communities through public transport links.

These include five major rail lines, namely LRT3, MRT1, LRT Kelana Jaya, LRT Sri Petaling and KTM.

They also include six highways – NKVE, LDP, NPE, Kesas, as well as the Federal and Bukit Jalil highways.

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“Proposed bus routes connecting the major public train lines will present B40 residents a faster and affordable alternative to get to their places of work quicker,” he said.

The greater connectivity will give B40 communities greater access to employment opportunities within and outside of Petaling Jaya.

He said this was the case with the LDP which helped contribute to the rapid development of Damansara, Puchong and Serdang.

A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) showed that the PJD Link will create an economic output of RM31 billion with 12,000 jobs a year during the construction period.

“Nearby businesses such as restaurants, hawkers, retailers and services would also benefit from the economic spillover effect that comes from the highway,” it said. - FMT