Taman Maju Jaya Residents’ Association secretary Khatijah Abdullah said the main and inner roads there were congested as traffic spilled over from the New Pantai Expressway (NPE).
“Right now, we can’t really use the inner roads in our neighbourhood because motorists from outside the area use them to bypass traffic jams on the highway,” Khatijah told FMT.
“Just to get out of our housing areas or come back in the evening can take 20 to 30 minutes during peak hours.
“The noise and air pollution (as a result of the congestion) is also frustrating.”
Khatijah welcomed the benefits the project would bring, but said its construction must not lead to problems such as floods, pollution or road damage.
Persatuan Kebajikan Penduduk Blok A Pangsapuri Permai chairman Hussein Dollah said he believed the PJD Link project would help create more job opportunities for the people of Taman Medan.
He said youths in the area struggled to find employment since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. If this highway project is approved, it would lead to job and business opportunities during the construction period.
Hussein said he and other residents’ associations in the area had submitted a letter to Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari stating their support for the highway.
He said the PJD Link would also help alleviate severe traffic jams during peak hours on Jalan PJS 1/25, which runs directly in front of their flats.
“Many cars use this road because it provides a route from NPE to Kinrara, Puchong. So a highway like PJD Link would really help us in easing the daily congestion,” he said.
Highway consultant Nizar Mansor said the proposed 25.4km highway, from Damansara to Kinrara, Puchong, would ease traffic congestion during peak hours for road users in Taman Medan and Kayu Ara.
He said motorists on the Sprint, Kesas and NPE highways had spilled over into the neighbourhood roads in Taman Medan and the surrounding townships.
“To just get out of their housing areas might take nearly an hour,” he told FMT.
Nizar said PJD Link would also allow many B40 residents quicker access to their workplace through connections to public transport lines.
“Proposed bus routes running through the PJD Link will quickly connect residents to any of the five public train lines,” he said.