KUALA LUMPUR (April 18): The concessionaire of the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) highway believes the project remains viable and will continue to pursue its realisation.

PJD Link (M) Sdn Bhd said it believes the RM4.4 billion project, which the company notes is intended to be fully privately funded, remains viable and is projected to create 12,000 jobs and generate RM31 billion in economic output.

“It is also a crucial infrastructure that coincides with the rapid development of Selangor, where a congestion-free connection between Kinrara and Damansara is still needed. The highway is designed as a traffic dispersal system, to connect with seven major highways and 11 interchanges, to boost connectivity among townships and reduce congestion,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced the Cabinet’s decision to discontinue the proposed 25.4km two-lane dual carriageway project on Wednesday, citing PJD Link's failure to meet a number of conditions precedent in its allotted time.

PJD Link acknowledges the Cabinet’s decision and explained that the delay in fulfilling the conditions was due to the project’s “complexities”.

Meanwhile, PJD Link also noted that the project, owned by the government via the Works Ministry, had already gone through detailed scrutiny by all relevant ministries and regulatory bodies.

“These concluded with the approvals of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA); Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA); and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) reports,” it said.

Nonetheless, PJD Link said the company is cognisant of the public’s concerns regarding the project, but says that it has garnered widespread support from stakeholders along its alignment.

“Its holistic economic and social benefits promise to significantly enhance sustainability and wellbeing across Selangor and the broader Klang Valley,” it added.

PJD Link said the company is studying requests to review the highway’s alignment and sees it as an opportunity to address any misconception surrounding the project.

“We will continue to work alongside the relevant government agencies, including federal and state, to see how this project can be viable for the people of Selangor and the greater Klang Valley as well,” it added.

PJD Link has been a complicated affair for the federal and Selangor state governments.

The project was granted conditional approval in April 2022 by the previous federal government under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration.

It was later cancelled in end-July last year but was seemingly back on the table after Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Amirudin Shari left the door open for the project to be revived if the developer fulfilled certain requirements set by the state government and stakeholders.

The project has been contentious since its onset, with quarters calling for improved public transportation and better first-and-last-mile connectivity, instead of the highway.