Get ready for worse delays at several intersections

Get ready for worse delays at several intersections

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta motorists should prepare themselves for bad traffic
congestion for up to two years because of ongoing construction of
six overpasses and two underpasses at eight locations in the
city.

Traffic congestion, particularly during morning and evening
peak periods, has been getting worse since five projects for
overpasses and underpasses started last month, with nearly half
the road width closed for the construction.

The construction of three other projects, nearly finished, has
been going on for one to two years and is expected to be
completed later this year or early next year.

The five projects, which began in September, are two
underpasses at Lebak Bulus and Ciputat, South Jakarta, and at
Pramuka, Central Jakarta. The three overpasses are at Pancoran,
and Kuningan, South Jakarta, and Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta.

The three other overpasses, which are nearly completed, are
located at Penggilingan, East Jakarta; Galur, Central Jakarta and
Kalibata, South Jakarta.

The first stage of construction of the eight projects will
cost more than Rp 170 billion.

"Since the project began, we have to spend about an hour at
Jl. Pramuka, particularly during the morning peak and in the
evening. If the traffic is flowing freely, it takes only 10
minutes to pass this section of road," said Sunarto, a bus driver
on the route between Rawamangun, East Jakarta, and Lebak Bulus,
South Jakarta.

The underpass at Jl. Pramuka is aimed at reducing traffic
congestion on the road due to the busy commuter train traffic on
the line between Bekasi and Kota station, Central Jakarta.

The first stage of the project is expected to be completed in
December this year and will be followed by the second stage,
expected to last around six more months.

On Jl. Pramuka, serious traffic congestion has been
experienced by motorists from Senen in the direction of Utan Kayu
or Rawamangun, Central Jakarta, as more than half of the road
width has been closed.

"Before the construction traffic there was already bad. Since
the project began, traffic jams have been getting worse. I see it
almost every evening when I have to travel to my house in Utan
Kayu," said Andi, who regularly travels by bus from his house in
Utan Kayu, Central Jakarta, to Jl. Sudirman, also in Central
Jakarta.

Traffic congestion has become more acute at Lebak Bulus,
Ciputat. The underpass is expected to reduce congestion between
traffic flows on the Lebak Bulus to Ciputat and Pondok Cabe to
Kebayoran Lama routes in South Jakarta once it is completed. The
Lebak Bulus area had long been known for its bad traffic jams
before the project.

The first stage of the project in Lebak Bulus is scheduled to
be completed in December. However, Yanto, a worker of PT Thomas
Pondasi, a subcontractor of PT Adhi Karya, said the project might
take longer to complete than originally planned as local
residents had objected to nighttime working.

This was confirmed by Fahruddin, a local resident, who said
that local people had told the underpass developer that
construction work should be halted before 6 p.m. as the piling
was very obtrusive.

"You can hear for yourself how much the noise would trouble
local people here," he said.

Other serious traffic jams are on Jl. Gatot Subroto, where two
overpasses are being constructed at Pancoran and Kuningan
intersections, particularly in the evening peak period, in the
Semanggi to Cawang direction.

First Brig. Tatang S., a police officer on duty at the
Kuningan intersection, said that there was no way of avoiding
congestion in the areas during the construction phases as there
was no reasonable alternative route.

"But I think the public appreciates that the traffic will be
more fluent once the overpasses are completed," Tatang told The
Jakarta Post.