Agency denies road scheme has begun

Agency denies road scheme has begun

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Parks Agency head Sarwo Handhayani denied on Tuesday that
a Rp 15 billion (US$1.8 million) project to widen the road and
sidewalks along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta,
has already started.

"It was only a routine check on cable installation along the
two roads. It has nothing to do with the project," she said.

However, The Jakarta Post observed excavations on Tuesday
along the roads. One-meter-deep holes measuring 140 centimeters
(cm) by 30 cm were visible every 20 meters along the median strip
of Jl. Sudirman. Concrete blocks on some parts of the sidewalks
on Jl. Thamrin had also been removed.

Sarwo said her agency was still discussing with the city
public works agency the plan to scrap the median strip separating
the fast and slow lanes to increase the usable width of the road.

Public works agency head Fodly Misbach could not be reached
for comment.

Fodly said earlier that both agencies would jointly redesign
the thoroughfares by widening the roads and sidewalks. The
project would include the scrapping of some parts of the median
strip along Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman to recover the road
width occupied by the busway, which was launched on Jan. 15.

Currently, the fast lanes comprise two lanes for vehicles plus
the dedicated busway lane.

The width of each lane will be reduced from three meters to
2.75 meters, while the width of the median strip between the fast
and slow lanes will be reduced by 1.5 meters on either side.