Half of Tangerang's roads damaged

TANGERANG (JP): About half of the 550 kilometers of main streets in the Tangerang mayoralty have been seriously or slightly damaged, head of the Bina Marga road development agency Engkan Lengkana reported on Tuesday.

"Of the total 550 km, 250 km are damaged," he told reporters.

The damaged roads, he added, excluded those located within housing complexes.

Engkan blamed the damage on the recent, heavier than normal rainy season that has deluged the area for extended periods and the ignorance of drivers of many heavy trucks, racing their vehicles on the flooded streets.

The cracked streets included the mayoralty's main thoroughfares of Jl. Imam Bonjol, Jl. Muhammad Toha, Jl. K.S. Tubun and Jl. M.H. Thamrin, he explained.

Making matters worse, he added, are the large number of factories in Tangerang outpacing the construction of proper roads.

In an effort to meet the growing public complaints, the agency has started to repair some of the damaged roads beginning this week.

"We're doing our best with the repairs, with the goal that the damaged roads will be reduced to less than 10 percent (of the total roads)," Engkan said.

He said, his office has been ordered by the mayoralty administration office to complete repairs of the damaged roads within 10 days. (41/bsr)