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Fri, 21 May 2004

JP/City to construct new busway corridors in June

City to construct new busway corridors in June

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration will start in June the construction of facilities for two new busway corridors from Kalideres bus terminal in West Jakarta to the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta and from Monas to Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta.

Assistant to the city secretary for development affairs IGKG Suena told reporters at City Hall that the budget for the construction -- including shelters, pedestrian bridges and designated lanes -- was Rp 600 billion (US$67.4 million).

"The amount excludes the procurement of buses as we have yet to calculate the budget required for that," he said.

According to Suena, there will be 43 bus stops along the new corridors and 187 buses to serve the two routes, totaling 33 kilometers in length.

Citing Governor Sutiyoso's instructions, Suena said the new corridors would be operational in April 2005 at the latest.

Two private bus operators, Mayasari Bhakti and Steady Safe, have submitted proposals to serve the new corridors.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Rustam Effendy Sidabutar said the agency would prioritize the construction of busway lanes since the new routes would pass narrow roads.

The new corridors will complete the existing route, linking Blok M in South Jakarta and Kota in West Jakarta, since they will help connect commuters in the east of Jakarta, including those living in Bekasi, and commuters in the west of Jakarta, including people living in Tangerang.

The administration plans to construct a total of 14 busway corridors across the capital as part of its efforts to solve the city's traffic woes.

Suena promised that the agency would learn from the technical shortcomings of the Blok M-Kota corridor.

"We will improve the asphalt on the busway lane so it will be able to take the weight of the buses," he said.

He admitted that many parts of the existing busway lane have been damaged although the project only started on Jan. 15. He added that the roads were designed for cars and not buses.