City needs President's nod in highway project
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta administration is seeking approval from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for its plan to develop seven inner city toll roads, as authority to build and manage highways is in central government's hands.
"We are preparing a letter, which will be sent by the governor to the President this week, requesting greater authority to build highways," assistant to the city secretary for development affairs, Hari Sandjojo, said on Thursday at City Hall.
Hari said that the administration could not as yet proceed with the development of the highways since both Law No. 38/2004 on roads and Government Regulation No. 15/2005 on highways stipulate that development of highways is the responsibility of the central government.
"We want those regulations to be synchronized with the spirit of (regional) autonomy so that the (Jakarta provincial) administration can develop highways as well as manage them," said Hari.
To date, all toll road projects have been built by the central government and managed by PT Jasa Marga as the toll road operator.
Those seven routes are Bekasi-Kampung Melayu, Kampung Melayu- Tomang, Pasar Minggu-Casablanca, Rawabuaya-Sunter, Sunter- Pulogebang, Kemayoran-Kampung Melayu, Ulujami-Tanah Abang, and Kampung Melayu-Tomang-Duri Pulo.
The administration has appointed city-owned developers Jakarta Propertindo and PT Pembangunan Jaya to represent the administration in the project worth Rp 23 trillion (US$2.4 billion) that will be wholly financed by private investors.
According to Hari, the administration has also garnered support from the city council over the project.
"We plan to present a detailed plan of the toll road to the council," he added.
City council's commission D overseeing transportation and development affairs, Muhayar Rustamudin, said the council called on the administration to immediately revise the city's master plan to accommodate changes made in urban spaces as well as transportation infrastructure.
"The city's master plan has yet to accommodate the planned highways and railway line heading to the (Soekarno-Hatta International) Airport, which all would be built starting next year," said Muhayar.
State railway company PT Kereta Api plans to expedite the development of 33-kilometer long railway line connecting the Manggarai station in South Jakarta and the airport.
The project, worth some Rp 1.4 trillion, will be jointly financed by PT KAI and airport operator Angkasa Pura II.
The Jakarta administration said that City Planning Agency was preparing a revision to the city's master plan, which would include new changes, such as the planned toll roads.
Transportation experts have warned that the 85-kilometer highways would not alleviate traffic headaches in the city, and could in fact even worsen the current situation.
Soetanto Soehodho of the University of Indonesia's Center for Transportation Studies recommended that the administration prioritize the development of public transportation systems rather than highways in order to better cater to the needs of Jakarta residents for on-time and affordable transportation.
According to Soetanto's estimate, the construction of the subway, which would serve more residents than the highways, would only cost between Rp 150 billion and Rp 200 billion per kilometer, much cheaper than the elevated toll roads worth Rp 270 billion per kilometer.