Jakarta-Bandung toll road sinks, closed for four days<\/p>\n
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung<\/p>\n
People wishing to use the new turnpike between Jakarta and
\nBandung will have to cancel their plans for four days as a
\nsection of the road, known as the Cipularang turnpike, subsided
\non Monday night. Repairs are currently underway and the road is
\nexpected to reopen on Saturday.<\/p>\n
A senior official with the state toll road operator PT Jasa
\nMarga said the subsidence had been discovered by the company's
\nworkers on Monday night as they patrolled the area in Sukatani
\nsubdistrict, Purwakarta regency. When first spotted, there was
\nonly a small hole in the middle of the road. This, however, grew
\nbigger and by Tuesday morning, the hole reached eight meters in
\nwidth and four meters deep. The company closed the road at
\nmidnight on Monday and suggested that motorists take alternative
\nroutes either via Cianjur or Purwakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The incident was unexpected,\" said Minister of Public Works
\nJoko Kirmanto, who visited the site on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The incessant rain earlier on Monday evening, compounded with
\nunstable soil conditions, was responsible for the subsidence,
\nsaid Heru Atmodjo, the head of PT Jasa Marga's
\nPurwakarta-Bandung-Cileunyi operations.<\/p>\n
Hendro revealed the unstable nature of the soil had earlier
\nconcerned the designers. The builders, including PT Adhikarya,
\nhad hoped to avoid the problem by compacting the soil in order to
\nmake it more solid, but the incident still happened on Monday,
\nsaid Hendro.<\/p>\n
The contractor, PT Adhikarya, has deployed an excavator to
\nfill hole with rubble, with repair efforts expected to last a
\nmaximum four days, said Hendro.<\/p>\n
Marjianto, operations director of PT Jasa Marga, said the
\ncompany would suffer losses of Rp 400 million (US$40,000) due to
\nthe incident. As the road had been closed, the company would lose
\nthe tolls paid by the some 24,000 vehicles that passed along it
\neveryday on average, said Marjianto.<\/p>\n
As of Tuesday, many drivers who had heard nothing about the
\nclosure of part of the road found themselves stuck in traffic
\njams. \"Had the government given out information earlier on the
\ntoll road subsidence on radio or television, I would have not
\npicked this route,\" said motorist Sri Redjeki.<\/p>\n
Connecting Cikampek, Purwakarta and Padalarang (Cipularang),
\nthe new 41.3-kilometer road was opened on April 26. It soon
\nbecame popular among travellers as it shortened the trip between
\nJakarta and Bandung from four hours to two-and-a-half hours.<\/p>\n
The construction of the road had earlier spurred controversy
\nwith many critics saying the government had speeded up
\nconstruction too much, thereby sacrificing quality, in order to
\nhave it ready for the Asia Africa Conference golden jubilee
\ncelebrations in Bandung city in April.<\/p>",
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