Alleviating Congestion from Latumenten Flyover Project, Pramono Requests Access Expansion
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has responded to residents’ complaints and scrutiny from the Jakarta Regional Parliament (DPRD DKI Jakarta) regarding severe traffic congestion caused by the Latumenten flyover or elevated road construction in the Grogol area of West Jakarta.
He stated that the Jakarta Provincial Government would soon take tactical steps to alleviate traffic congestion in the area. Pramono acknowledged that the infrastructure development project is currently having a significant impact on traffic flow.
To address this issue, he has instructed his staff to immediately implement traffic engineering measures in the form of widening alternative routes. “The Latumenten flyover is indeed something we are aware of to reduce congestion there,” said Pramono at the Jakarta Education Department Office in South Jakarta on Thursday, 26 February.
“Now I have asked the Public Works Agency to expand access so that the closed road can be reopened,” he added.
Pramono expressed hope that the quick action to open access roads would soon be felt by the public. He aims to ensure that future project work can proceed without compromising road users’ comfort.
“So essentially, hopefully in the near future the Latumenten construction will not cause increasingly severe congestion,” said Pramono.
Previously, Hardiyanto Kenneth, a member of the Jakarta Regional Parliament from the PDI Perjuangan faction, conducted a direct inspection of the location. “Many residents have complained to me. This construction process causes extraordinary congestion due to road narrowing,” said Kenneth in his statement on Wednesday, 25 February.
During the site inspection, the member of Commission C of the Jakarta Regional Parliament found that Latumenten Road, which originally had three lanes, had narrowed to just one active lane. This narrowing has caused vehicle queues to become extremely long, particularly during morning and evening peak hours.
Furthermore, Kenneth also noted the presence of JakLingko minibuses stopping immediately after the railway crossing. According to him, this stopping point is located in a highly problematic area for vehicle accumulation.
“Minibuses stop right after the railway crossing. This worsens congestion. The stopping point should be moved forward slightly after the bottleneck position so vehicle flow can continue,” he said.
According to Kenneth, congestion has become more complex with large container trucks and buses still passing through this road section. Kenneth believes that during the project, large vehicles should be diverted to alternative routes to reduce traffic burden.
“Large container trucks and buses are still passing through here. With only one lane remaining, this is clearly not ideal. I urge the Jakarta Transportation Agency to find concrete solutions immediately,” he said.
Kenneth stated that his faction supports the construction of this strategic project. However, the project should not compromise residents’ comfort and safety.
“The process should not cause suffering to the public every day. There must be stricter traffic management, consistent field supervision, and quick solutions for large vehicles and minibus stopping points,” he said.