Second busway corridor yet to break ground<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The city public works agency has apparently strayed from its
\nschedule to begin widening the road designated for the second
\nbusway corridor, from Pulo Gadung bus terminal in East Jakarta to
\nthe National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Agency head Fodly Misbach previously said that work would
\nstart early this month, on five kilometers of the corridor along
\nJl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, from the bus terminal to Cempaka Putih
\ntraffic intersection.<\/p>\n
The new busway corridor is slated to be operational early next
\nyear.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post observed on Sunday that the median strip of
\nthe road was still being used by scrap iron traders as a
\njunkyard.<\/p>\n
Residents of Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan also said they had not
\nbeen informed of when work would start.<\/p>\n
\"The officials told us to remove the scrap iron from the
\nmedian strip. They said they would soon begin widening the road,
\nbut, so far, there has been no evidence of that,\" said Manaf, one
\nof the traders, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The city administration plans to use the 1.5-meter-wide median
\nstrip as part of the 3.4-meter-wide busway corridor. Converting
\nthe existing lanes alone would probably cause bottlenecks along
\nthe busy road.<\/p>\n
Urban observers have criticized the plan as the area is mostly
\noccupied with office buildings and the median strip serves as a
\ngreen belt.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the public works agency is widening the one-meter-
\nwide median strip on Jl. Suprapto in Cempaka Putih so it can
\naccommodate busway shelters.<\/p>\n
According to Fodly, the agency has allocated Rp 10 billion
\n(US$ 1.08 million) for work on the two roads. Work on Jl.
\nPerintis Kemerdekaan is estimated to cost Rp 7 billion, while
\nwork on Jl. Suprapto is estimated at Rp 3 billion. The roadwork
\nwill be funded from this year's city budget.<\/p>\n
The total length of the Pulo Gadung-Monas corridor will be
\n14.5 kilometers.<\/p>\n
Launched on Jan. 15, the city already boasts a 12.9-kilometer
\nbusway corridor from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West
\nJakarta, served by 56 buses.<\/p>\n
Apart from the Pulo Gadung-Monas corridor, the administration
\nwill construct another corridor from Pulo Gadung to Kali Deres
\nbus terminal in West Jakarta. The later projects are scheduled
\nfor completion in late 2007, coinciding with the end of Governor
\nSutiyoso's tenure, who is the main patron of the busway.<\/p>\n
The three busway corridors are to be among 14 planned
\ncorridors in the city.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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