KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 ― Plans for the super-elevated  Kinrara Damansara Expressway (KIDEX)  passed relevant safety and environmental checks, the developer of the project has said, as it seeks to allay growing concerns raised by residents in affected areas.

The developer, Kidex Sdn Bhd, said construction of the RM2.42 billion highway will be closely monitored by the Department of Environment and will include monthly reports on possible noise and dust pollution.

“The EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) report has been approved. We are going to comply with whatever conditions imposed by the DOE,” Kidex Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Nor Idrus he told The Malay Mail Online in an exclusive interview.

The firm is required to give monthly reports on noise and dust pollution to the DOE and failure to meet safety and environmental standards could result in immediate stop-work orders, he said .

“If I don't do it right, I am in trouble.

“During the construction, that is what we are afraid of, of a stop-work order being issued ...as a concessionaire company raising our own funds that is our concern,” Mohd Nor said.

The EIA was conducted by DOE-registered Environment Asia Sdn Bhd, an environmental and management planning consultant.

Opponents of the proposed highway have raised concerns that the expressway would create unnecessary noise and traffic pollution it would pass through residential areas and schools.

At up to 24 metres high, the expressway is also expected to obstruct existing views.

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.

Barrier walls 6 feet in height and which can withstand the impact of 20-tonne lorries travelling at 80km per hour will be built on either side of the expressway, he added.

Mohd Nor pointed out that the KIDEX will be the country's first “green skyway”. In parts, the highway would have “vertical gardens” of various types of local plants.

“We will identify areas where the vertical garden will be placed...iconic areas like maybe near PJ Hilton or places near residential units so that it will be able to soften the impact of the concrete (structure of the highway),” he said.

Internationally-renowned botanist Patrick Blanc has been commissioned by Kidex Sdn Bhd to carry out the beautification of the KIDEX. Blanc is also currently working on the Le Nouvel building located within the city centre.

Construction of the multi-billion ringgit highway could begin as soon as next year and be completed by 2018.