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.