Kidex not integral to Selangor highway plans, DAP rep tells MB
(Malay Mail Online) – Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is “jumping the gun” in claiming that cancelling the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) would cripple the construction of other highways in Selangor, a DAP state lawmaker has said.
Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran said there was a need for the Selangor government to rope in independent consultants to study the Kidex project and whether it would really alleviate traffic woes.
“He is jumping the gun by saying that Kidex cannot be scrapped. Kidex should be studied, valued based on its own merits,” Rishyakaran said of the mentri besar, when met at the Selangor state assembly building here.
Khalid, into his second term as Selangor mentri besar, said yesterday that Kidex is part of an intricate network of six expressways in the state and blocking any of these projects would likely affect the others.
Aside from Kidex, the other proposed highways are the Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Expressway (Suke), Serdang Kinkara Putrajaya Expressway (Skip), Damansara Shah Alam Expressway (Dash) and the Pantai Barat Expressway (LLB).
“If Kidex does not happen, Skip won’t happen either,” Khalid told reporters at a news conference here.
“People in Selangor need to look at the proposed highway networks holistically,” he added.
Rishyakaran rejected this yesterday, however, saying that the Skip highway could still go ahead when without Kidex.
“Skip can still proceed if Kidex does not. Just extend the Skip route for another kilometre and connect it to the Shah Alam Highway (Kesas),” he said.
The DAP man said Khalid should not be seen as supporting the Kidex highway, especially with growing concerns over the project’s transparency and viability.
The Kidex project has been rejected on three occasions by the city council as developers had failed to provide sufficient details.
Under Section 18 of the Town Country and Planning Act (TCPA), construction cannot start unless the highway fits with MBPJ’s plans.
Kidex is currently not incorporated into the council’s blueprint for Petaling Jaya city.
Despite the growing opposition, mounting evidence in the form of replies in Parliament and the state legislative assembly indicate that the project is set to proceed.
Among the areas that could be affected by the project are Tropicana Mall, SS2 Mall, Rothman’s traffic lights, Section 14, Amcorp Mall, Hilton Petaling Jaya, Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital, Jalan Templer roundabout, Taman Datuk Harun, Taman Medan Baru and Bandar Kinrara.
Construction of the multi-billion-ringgit highway could begin as soon as next year and be completed by 2018.
