An independent study on the controversial Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) project has revealed that the Malaysian government doesn’t have a master plan for its highway projects that would check for feasibility and compatibility with existing highways.
MDS Traffic Planners and Consultants, which was commissioned by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to look into Kidex Sdn Bhd’s technical reports on the feasibility of the RM2.42 billion project, said they were told of the lack of a master plan during their meeting with the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) last November 3.
“At a subsequent meeting held at Wisma Lebuhraya LLM on Monday, November 2014, we were verbally told by the Highway Planning Unit (HPU) that there is no such highway master plan report.
“Malaysia’s HPU currently does not have any master plan document to show where new highways or expressways are being planned or to be constructed,” MDS said in its review, as quoted by The Malay Mail Online‘s Shazwan Mustafa Kamal.
“So it could not be established and determined whether Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) was indeed part of the national expressway master plan network.”
MDS’s report added that it would have been “great” if a master plan for Malaysia’s highways, especially for high-density urban areas like the Klang Valley, existed to determine the necessity of a project like Kidex.
“A question thus arises on how the authorities decide and plan a network of highways and expressways in the country?
“A more important question will be; how the government decides that one expressway proposal is to be evaluated?” MDS asked.
The report also revealed that the Kidex highway project arose from an unsolicited proposal by the private company building the highway right now, and not from any instigation nby the Works Ministry, MHA, or the Federal Government.
The approval for the project to go ahead was made via a “top down” approach – the submission was put to the National Economic Council, and received approval from the Cabinet, before any prior feasibility studies could have been made.
MDS also said it could not obtain the “cost benefits analysis report” as it was deemed “private and confidential.”
So now there’s a RM2.42 billion highway being built in an area where many people don’t want it, and there’s no evidence to suggest that it’s necessary. Or if it is necessary, no one knows if the Kidex will work as advertised to reduce traffic congestion in the Kinrara-Damansara area, or if it will even play nice with existing highways.
