BANDAR Utama and Tropicana residents have been given a temporary reprieve as Jalan Tanjung will re-open and operate as a one-way traffic road for two weeks soon.
 
This will allow road users to make their exit from Jalan Persiaran Tropicana to Lebuh Bandar Utama. The Petaling Jaya City Council is expected to officially request Bandar Utama City Corporation Sdn Bhd (BUCC) to open the existing ramp at the stretch. The ramp was to allow for one-way traffic for six months from last Friday, and then have it closed permanently.

However, following Tropicana residents’ appeal for the authorities to acquire the land, BUCC decided to seal the ramp last Monday.

“If it is practical, we will work with BUCC to make Jalan Tanjung a permanent public road instead of a temporary one. The road will then be re-opened as usual, while construction work begins (simultaneously),”

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid said in a statement yesterday. At the same time, the State government will undertake a feasibility study to see if the ramp can be widened from two lanes to four lanes.

Khalid said after listening to the protest by Tropicana residents on the closure of the ramp in question yesterday. Khalid also held a meeting with BUCC and Dijaya Corporation Bhd (developer of Tropicana) last Friday and Sunday.

“It was agreed by all parties that Jalan Tanjung will operate as a one-way road for two weeks to allow road users to make their exit from Persiaran Tropicana to Lebuh Bandar Utama,” he added.

To ensure traffic does not worsen with this proposed temporary measure, the State has instructed the council to reassign the U-turn at the junction of Jalan Tropicana Selatan and Jalan Hilir Bandar Utama.

There is also a second solution, that is to build a road linking Jalan PJU 1A/1 in Ara Damansara to PersiaranTropicana. These two measures will start immediately, after consulting traffic consultant Goh Bok Yen from MAG Technical and Development Consultant Sdn Bhd.

It was also identified that poor planning is the root cause of traffic woes in Damansara. “With or without Jalan Tanjung, the traffic is just as bad. That is why the State is looking into mid and long-term solutions for the problem,” Khalid said.

For the long-term, the State will be calling all the developers in Damansara to work together to solve the traffic problem in the area. It also plans to set up a special fund to improve the infrastructure in Damansara.

Meanwhile, Bandar Utama Residents Association deputy chairman Lim See Meng said they will discuss the State government’s decision and present their views to the menteri besar.