KUALA LUMPUR – The proposed Stormwater Management and Road (SMART) Tunnel is not intended as an alternative for the terminated Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link project. Instead, it aims to ease traffic congestion at entry points to the Federal Highway and the New Pantai Expressway (NPE).
Speaking to Scoop, former Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Derek Fernandez clarified that the idea for the SMART tunnel emerged from traffic issues in Jalan Gasing and Jalan Templer in Petaling Jaya.
“We discovered that those using these roads during peak hours were mainly not local traffic, but people using Jalan Gasing and Jalan Templer to cut across from the Federal Highway to access the NPE.
“We had to look for a suitable place to provide another alternative to ease congestion on those roads, especially the massive congestion on Jalan Templer to Old Klang Road and NPE.
“Originally, we thought of the land where there were old Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTM) tracks at Section 51A where we could put an additional slip road.
“To avoid using an elevated road and to mitigate floods, and to be consistent with Petaling Jaya local plan policies for dual purpose infrastructure, a SMART tunnel was a good option,” Fernandez said.
He further noted that while sporadic flooding in certain parts of Petaling Jaya remains a concern, the SMART tunnel could effectively mitigate future flooding incidents and potentially serve as water storage to address future water scarcity challenges if designed accordingly.
It will also free up the surface land and be able to help relieve increased traffic from the proposed redevelopment of Section 51A, he said.
Fernandez also mentioned that nothing is set in stone, and the SMART tunnel proposal is merely part of the transport infrastructure in the Preliminary Special Area Action Plan designed to solicit discussion and thought from various stakeholders.
However, if the project receives the green light, he believes that the tunnel will not receive significant pushback from the public since it will be done underground.
“If people have ideas, they should share them with MBPJ.
“Because this will be underground, it won’t disturb anyone,” Fernandez said.
As for the price of the project, which is estimated to be RM350 million, Fernandez explained that the actual cost will have to be competitive and based on normal government procurement procedures and must be reasonable given that Malaysian companies already have access to tunnel boring machines.
Yesterday, a local daily reported on the proposal for a SMART tunnel in Petaling Jaya, citing MBPJ Planning Development Department director Lee Lih Shyan.
The report noted that the 1.98km tunnel, which would go through Sections 51, 51A, Federal Highway Route 2, and the NPE, would replace the cancelled PJD Link.
On April 17, Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who is also the unity government’s spokesman, said the decision to cancel the project was made after the concessionaire failed to meet six out of the 11 conditions set.
Based on the proposed plan, the PJD Link will connect the north and south of Petaling Jaya, which cuts through the north of Petaling Jaya, Bandar Utama, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Taman Datuk Harun, Taman Medan Baru, Taman Sri Manja, Bandar Kinrara and Bukit Jalil Technology Park. – May 30, 2024