Razali Abdullah, a representative from Taman Medan in Petaling Jaya, said the development was crucial for alleviating the congestion in their community.
“The reasons are quite evident when you observe Taman Medan, which is overrun with traffic,” he said at a press conference.
He said there had been a rapid increase in the number of buildings and condominiums in the area, leading to a higher concentration of people.
Last week, following the government’s announcement that it would not proceed with the project, the developer of the PJD Link said it was considering requests to review the alignment of the highway.
On April 17, unity government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the government’s decision came after the concessionaire failed to meet six out of 11 conditions set by Putrajaya.
However, the concessionaire attributed the unfulfilled conditions to the complexities of the project, which it said took longer than expected to iron out.
Razali said the government should negotiate with the project concessionaire instead of cancelling it outright.
“The concessionaire is open to negotiations, so they should hold discussions to address the existing issues,” he said, adding that the residents were indifferent to which company was in charge as long as the issues in their area could be resolved.
He also said a survey conducted by the concessionnaire of Petaling Jaya residents returned about 60% support for the project.
Meanwhile, Yusri Ramli, chairman of the Petaling Jaya Community Organisation, said the project would bring significant advantages to the areas surrounding Taman Medan, and that it promised significant traffic relief for Shah Alam and Damansara.
He acknowledged that the project would require purchasing private property, which might upset some homeowners, but said this route was the best option, as determined by the consultants.
PJD Link was designed to connect the north and south of Petaling Jaya, passing through several areas including Petaling Jaya Utara, Bandar Utama, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, the city centre, Taman Dato’ Harun, Taman Medan Baru, Taman Sri Manja, Bandar Kinrara, and Bukit Jalil Technology Park.
In November 2017, the Cabinet approved the proposal for the highway’s construction in principle. In September 2020, the state government also granted its approval in principle, contingent on the receipt of impact assessment reports.
Last year, Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari announced that the state government had decided to cancel the PJD Link project.
He said the impact assessment reports submitted by the developer, particularly the social impact assessment report, were unsatisfactory and failed to meet specific conditions set by the state government.