Traffic set to worsen as road projects begin

JAKARTA. Jakartans are bracing themselves for heavier congestion in several parts of the capital city. The city administration has a number of ongoing and upcoming road construction projects this year, some of which will continue for at least another year before completion.

The head of Bina Marga Agency’s overpass and intersection division, Heru Suwondo, said the construction of two overpasses in Permata Hijau and Kuningan in South Jakarta had started earlier this year. Meanwhile, a bigger project on an elevated highway on Jl. Tendean, also in South Jakarta, will kick off next month.

“Contractors for the Permata Hijau and Kuningan overpasses have completed their designs and the construction work has started.

“In Permata Hijau, the contractors have started to install foundations, while in Kuningan, the contractor is currently widening the road and starting to drill to install foundations,” Heru said over the phone on Sunday.

The overpass in Permata Hijau will be built above the railway crossing at the Jl. Patal Senayan intersection to reduce congestion caused by the high traffic of commuter trains (KRL). The overpass is being built by tender winners PT Lampiri Djaya Abadi, PT Multi Infrastructure and PT Brantas Abispraya. It will be 544 meters long and 10 meters wide.

Meanwhile, the overpass in Kuningan will be located at the intersection between Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. Mampang Prapatan. The one-way overpass, which will be 680 meters long and 5.1 meters wide, will be developed by PT Nindya Karya and will cater to motorists traveling from Pancoran to Semanggi.

Both overpasses, Heru said, were expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the construction of an elevated highway for Transjakarta Corridor 13 is also set to begin in March. Corridor 13 will extend from Jl. Tendean to Jl. Ciledug Raya in South Jakarta.

“For the elevated Transjakarta lane, the contractors have finished the design and are currently conducting soil tests. The construction work will begin in March,” Heru said.

He added that a number of contractors would participate in developing the elevated busway lane. State-owned PT Adhi Karya will build 1,000 meters of road, PT Yasa Patrisia Perkasa 1,250 meters, city-owned PT Jaya Konstruksi 1,375 meters, state-owned PT Hutama Karya 1,200 meters, state-owned PT Pembangunan Perumahan 1,300 meters, PT Istaka Karya CO and PT Agra Budi 1,400 meters and PT Waskita Karya 1,500 meters.

The remaining 1,500 meters of the elevated road are still in tender.

“In total, the elevated Transjakarta busway lane will be 9.3 kilometers long and 9 meters wide. It will have two lanes and 12 bus shelters. We aim to finish the construction by the end of 2016,” Heru said.

He went on to say that according to the plan, the elevated highway would also be integrated with
the upcoming Mass Rapid Transit system.

The Jl. Tendean-Ciledug elevated road will be almost twice as long as the Jl. Pangeran Antasari — Blok M elevated road in South Jakarta. The administration commenced the operation of Jl. Pangeran Antasari — Blok M in early 2013, spending Rp 2.2 trillion (about US$171 million) on the 4.8 kilometer highway, which was built late in 2010.

Road users have expressed their concern over worsening traffic as a result of the city’s road construction projects.

Rebecca Simatupang, 25, a regular Transjakarta passenger, who commutes from her house in Condet in East Jakarta to her office in Grogol in West Jakarta, said she was pessimistic that the projects would finish as scheduled.

She said that although the Kuningan overpass had only just begun construction, the road had already become more congested.

“I pass through the Kuningan intersection every day and have suffered from the unbearable traffic. I spend an hour at the intersection alone. I can’t imagine how much worse it will get in the next few months during the construction,” she said.

Meanwhile, more construction projects on overpasses are coming. The city administration is currently holding a tender for the construction of four other overpasses above Cipinang Lontar railroad crossing in East Jakarta, Bintaro railroad crossing in South Jakarta, Jl. Panjang railroad crossing in West Jakarta and Jl. Kartini railroad crossing in Central Jakarta.

The construction works of the four overpasses are also expected to commence sometime this year.

In the wake of a fatal railroad crossing collision in Pondok Betung, Bintaro, South Jakarta, in December 2013, the administration has intensified a tabled plan to build underpasses and overpasses at several dangerous crossings across the capital.

To date, only 43 crossings in Jakarta have an overpass or an underpass. (Dewanti A. Wardhani)