The target commencement for the construction of the project is mid-2023 with an estimated construction time of 3 years.
The Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link is a 100% privately-financed project.
With Petaling Jaya (PJ) increasingly expected to expand with new developments and residential areas, the volume of traffic using smaller neighborhood roads will increase exponentially. The PJD Link will serve as an option for road users, that will provide connectivity from Damansara to Kinrara, thereby relieving congestion and shortening travel times.
Congestion can also be reduced at key pressure choke points during peak hours, which include Jalan Templer, Jalan Universiti, Jalan Gasing, Jalan Prof. Khoo Kay Kim and PJ Loop.
PJD Link will have a total of 11 interchanges located at: Bandar Utama, SPRINT, Damansara Intan, Jalan Universiti, Federal Highway, Jalan Barat/ Jalan Sultan, NPE, KESAS, Jalan Puchong, Jalan Kinrara 1 and Bukit Jalil Highway.
For construction to commence, PJD Link is required to meet the following criteria:
a) Social Impact Assessment (SIA), Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) reports, which must be completed and submitted to the relevant agencies for their review and approval.
b) Following this, approval for development will be granted under Section 20A – Akta Bandar dan Desa 1976 (Akta 172), which is defined as the Duty to Consult - It shall be the duty of every Federal and State Government department or agency to consult the Committee on any development activity that it proposes to carry out within the State.
c) Any land acquisition would have to follow the guidelines set by the Selangor State Land Office/ Jabatan Penilaian dan Perkhidmatan Harta (JPPH).
An SIA stands for Social Impact Assessment, which is an in-depth analysis of how a project will impact the society and societal values of the people and communities in and around the project area.
The findings of the SIA, which is conducted by an independent third-party expert, are incredibly important because they will help shape a project’s community and stakeholder engagement, corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework and information dissemination standards for pre, during and post construction.
The SIA will be shared openly and transparently upon completion as will the steps and measures the SIA recommends the project put in place.
An EIA is an Environmental Impact Assessment, which is an in-depth analysis of how a project will impact the environment in and around the project area.
The findings of the EIA, which is conducted by an independent third-party expert, are incredibly important because they will help shape a project’s green policies and standards.
The EIA will ensure that the environment is protected during construction and restored, if not enhanced, post-construction. The EIA will be shared openly and transparently upon completion as will the steps and measures the EIA recommends the project put in place.
TIA stands for Traffic Impact Assesment, which is an in-depth analysis of how a project will impact the traffic on the local roads along the alignment of the highway.
The findings of the TIA, which is conducted by an independent third-party expert, are incredibly important because they will help determine the effect on traffic on the local roads along the highway.
The TIA will ensure that the traffic planning and management during construction and post-construction are optimised if not enhanced. The TIA will be shared openly and transparently upon completion as will the steps and measures the TIA recommends the project put in place.
The project is implemented under Section 20A – Akta Bandar dan Desa 1976 (Akta 172) through PLANMalaysia@Selangor.
Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (LLM) is working with the Local Authorities to incorporate the project into the relevant local plans.
Any acquisition of property will only be determined upon the final alignment, which takes into account the findings of all the impact assessment reports (SIA, EIA, TIA). Property owners will be notified by the State's Jabatan Ketua Pengarah Tanah Dan Galian Persekutuan under Section 8 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 by the issuance of Form E (Intended Acquisition: Notice of Enquiry).
PJD Link will ensure that strict supervision and safety procedures for works in close proximity or that come into contact with public domain – the launching of special viaduct spans, heavy lifting and crane operations that are adjacent to or over public roads, temporary works (sheet piles and excavation) and delivery of heavy loads – are well in place.
Some of these measures include comprehensive traffic management plans, safety trainings, daily toolbox briefings, added checks and approvals by Safety Superintendents and Supervising Consultants, and the deployment of line of sight and traffic barriers. Contractors will take ownership of safety at their respective worksites and PJD Link will work closely with Contractors in upholding all safety procedures, before and during construction activities.
All contractors involved with the construction of PJD Link will need to comply with the noise, air, vibration and water quality levels as stipulated by the Department of Environment (DOE).
A comprehensive Environmental Management Plan (EMP) will be proposed, and will require approval from DOE, based on the final EIA. This will provide comprehensive and robust mitigation measures to minimize the impact on the environment during construction.
During construction, foreign workers will stay in Centralised Labour Quarters (CLQ) that would meet the following:
• Dormitories will be fenced/hoarded with a single access point for worker’s entry/exit.
• Security guards will be positioned at the entry/exit points at all times to prevent illegal residents.
• Each resident will be issued a worker identification pass to ensure the security personnel are able to verify the legitimacy of the resident.
• There will be regular unannounced security checks performed by PJD Link and/or its Main Contractor.
• Illegal activities such as gambling and alcohol consumption will be barred.
• A comprehensive CLQ Security Plan including but not limited to the deplopyment of an emergency response team will be in place in case of fire, disease outbreak, and the standard of cleanliness and hygiene shall be provided in detail
• To ensure that CIDB and PDRM requirements are met.
Note: These measures will be bolstered with additional best-practices and recommendations raised in the Social Impact Assessment or SIA. We will also take into consideration any additional feedback from the communities to increase public safety and security.
A series of engagements with the public will be carried out by PJD Link prior to construction to clarify and provide factual information about the project including the alignment, social, environmental and traffic aspects during construction and operation. This will allay concerns over issues raised.
From our preliminary findings which will be further supported by our ongoing survey reports, PJD Link has studied the communities' needs and will incorporate those needs into our planning. As an alternative to existing toll free roads, PJD Link is designed to be a dispersal system with multiple points of exit and entry that will ease congestion on the existing community and residential roads. Research has also shown that stationary and gridlocked traffic cause more pollution than free-flowing traffic. The PJD Link aims to efficiently draw and disperse congestion away from gridlocked community and residential zones.
PJD Link is designed, constructed and operated in line with the strategic plans of relevant government agencies. The strategic thrust of this plan is to ensure that the development plans are regulated, sustainable and inclusive. This will include the following:
• The implementation of Green Highway from the design stage using the My Green Highway Index framework.
• The implementation of a carbon reduction program in line with the relevant government agencies initiatives.
• The design and implementation will use green building principles.
The concept and implementation of Green Highway is not new in Malaysia. The key principle is to achieve sustainable development and to address the environmental issues such as climate change, the improvement of air quality, to reinvigorate business in townships and protect natural resources.
The PJD Link Project in the future is expected to contribute to the sustainability of PJ as an urban center directly by reducing local road traffic, congestion and pollution emission as compared to doing nothing. By 2030, PJD Link's role is to redistribute traffic crisscrossing PJ, facilitate the upgrading of the PJ public transportation system and enable the Government to implement traffic restraints and pedestrian-friendly initiatives on PJ roads, thereby reducing automotive-dependency in the PJ community. In the long run, the PJD Link project will act as the platform for the PJ community to make it sustainable in line with Selangor State's sustainability aspirations and DBKL's 2050 Climate Action Plan.
Based on an independent PwC 2022 Report, we can expect the following:
• The total economic impact forecasted at RM6.5 bil over the 3-year development phase of PJD Link.
• The total economic output impact estimated to be RM 24.8 bil during its 45-year operation phase.
Although the data above are the impact to the Malaysian economy, nevertheless as the project is in the State of Selangor, the economic spill over will be felt in the state. The project expenditure including spending from the workers would stimulate the economic sector in Petaling Jaya within the retail and services industry.
PJD Link is making efforts to impove public transportation within its corridor. The PJD Link alignment is expected to utilise a fully digitised, on-demand public transit service for a viable first-mile/last mile connectivity to MRT, LRT3, LRT and KTM Komuter stations.
We welcome any suggestions from the public
to improve this development.