10 km road badly damaged

10 km road badly damaged

BEKASI (JP): A 10-kilometer road connecting Serang subdistrict
and Cibarusah subdistrict near here is badly damaged, completely
paralyzing land transportation in the area.

According to several local people, the road has been neglected
for about five years which is why it is presently in such a poor
condition.

"Five years ago the road was well asphalted using the hotmix
method, but now it is dilapidated and full of big potholes. It is
practically impassable," one local resident told The Jakarta Post
over the weekend.

He said because of the condition of the road the prices of
basic commodities have soared beyond the buying power of the
residents of Cibarusah and surrounding districts.

"The road turns into a huge muddy, swampy lake when rain
falls," he said.

The people generally blamed the situation on overloaded big
trucks carrying tons of sand from a sand quarrying site managed
by four companies. "The companies are the most responsible
parties for the damaged road," they said.

The people urged the local office of the public works ministry
to immediately rectify the situation by improving the condition
of the road.(12/bas)