For past few days, there has been many news report about a replacement for the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex). Due to all the objections about Kidex which is going to be built above the ground, the suggestion was for the Kidex replacement is to be build underground. The reason is because no matter what happens, a new expressway has to be built to accommodate Klang Valley’s growing traffic volume. Today, reported in TheMalayMail online, the Works Ministry has clarified that there were no concrete plans for an underground highway to be built as an alternative to Kidex.
According to Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, the federal government was open to any proposal to increase connectivity and to manage traffic but whatever being proposed should have sound and viable financial and technical aspects and this includes even an underground tunnel. Replacement for Kidex is needed because the public transportation alone is insufficient. In fact even the buses would face punctuality issue because of the traffic on existing roads. Of course, the approval for any new expressway would have to come from the Selangor government. This is because land and development approval is under state jurisdiction.
Kidex is no longer part of Selangor’s 2035 structural plan and it has been cancelled. The reason was because the developer, Kidex Sdn Bhd had failed to meet necessary pre-conditions. An independent review of Kidex by MDS Traffic Planners and Consultants also showed that the project suffered from a poor planning process between various government levels. It highlighted the concerns for the expressway as it was also encroaching into residential homes and public buildings like schools and hospitals.
My opinion remains the same. Decision on whether to have or not to have this should be based on studies done and the reasons based on the studies done why the expressway is needed. Always remind ourselves, any expressway construction would take many years but Greater KL is growing extremely fast due to the urbanisation. If an expressway is needed, put all politics aside and push it through. As for the underground option, I think it will cost much more than a conventional one built on the ground or even above the ground. Higher costs simply meant higher toll rates. I am not sure if there are any developers with deep enough pockets to fund this.
written on 30 Sept 2015
Next suggested article: East Klang Valley expressway (EKVE) approved but…
Kidex off but replaced by underground expressway?
Comments
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Hi Charles,
Yes I agree with certain issues should leave politics aside. If the upper ground ‘price’ is higher than underground, why not build it! It’s just like another SMART Tunnel we have. Then charge for whom want to use it. For the user, the faster time should come with higher price. I think I will also use it if the ‘money’ that I will get from the time saving is more than I pay for the tunnel.
This is why we in Malaysia always left out from ‘advanced nation’ list. Right from politics to critical thinking. We are so afraid to do some ‘wasted project’ hahaha.. You can see how many wasted projects done by Tun M! Putrajaya, KLCC, Proton Saga, PETRONAS twin towers and philharmonic hall etc. haha.. We are not there even in year 2020.
Back to the issue, please enhance public transport if you don’t want peoples to use their own car. You can do it..-
I think KIDEX is much more than just decision science. It includes political science as well. As for toll, I actually have the exact same thoughts as you. I told my wife many years ago, I would rather pay toll than to be caught in a jam. My time is far more important than the toll. As for Tun M, I do not agree with everything he does but I think he is a much better PM than a few…. 🙂 As for wasted projects, I think it really depends on perspective. I have attended two concerts in the philharmonic orchestra, I like it. Petronas Twin Tower is still an icon of the world and will remain tallest twin tower for long time to come. KLCC became a favourite for expats only after the developments. Proton Wira, Tiara, Waja were all very problematic cars. I own a Persona BLM and an Exora and I enjoy both thus far. Yes, the final thought, we MUST improve public transport but we MUST also push the public to use it. Don’t look too far, look at SG and HK for ideas on how to force the majority to use public transport.
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