Jakarta Government Wants Senayan City and Plaza Senayan Linked by Underground Passage

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung is advocating for an underground passage connecting the Senayan City and Plaza Senayan shopping centres for public use. The initiative aims to strengthen pedestrian connectivity and reduce congestion in the Senayan area. Pramono also plans to utilise the underground link between Senayan City and Plaza Senayan as a space for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). “The space below can be used for MSMEs to sell goods and so on,” Pramono said in South Jakarta on Tuesday (7/7). According to him, Jakarta must be managed well, including by untangling congestion hotspots. By connecting the two shopping centres, the hope is to ease pedestrian access while reducing traffic jams in the Senayan area. “In Senayan, if Plaza Senayan and Senayan City are not connected underground, it really disrupts transportation and often causes congestion,” he said. Pramono added that he has asked the Jakarta Development Assistant to follow up on the matter. He hopes the plan to link Senayan City and Plaza Senayan can be realised soon, similar to the Bundaran HI area which connects several hotels. “Hopefully it will be followed up soon, because even more difficult things have been overcome at Bundaran HI. Connecting Grand Hyatt, Pullman, Mandarin, Kempinski, and then underneath there are MSMEs directly connected to the MRT,” Pramono explained. Previously, Pramono mentioned that the two shopping centres had not been connected due to each party’s ego. Therefore, the Jakarta Provincial Government is encouraging both to immediately realise the connectivity. According to Pramono, the connectivity will benefit both malls as visitors can move between locations without crossing the road, making traffic flow more orderly. He has even prepared a measure if the two managements fail to agree on building the connecting passage. “I said, if you don’t want to be connected, then fine, we’ll raise your taxes because you’re disrupting traffic. That’s how we work. So we don’t need to bother, just raise their taxes, and they will surely be willing to negotiate because it benefits both of them,” he stated. Pramono considers the connection between Plaza Senayan and Senayan City as part of the Jakarta Provincial Government’s efforts to build inter-area connectivity. He believes that pedestrian infrastructure development is one of the keys to creating a more comfortable and friendly city. Plaza Senayan and Senayan City are located opposite each other, separated by Jalan Asia Afrika. Additionally, parallel to Plaza Senayan and within the same complex, lies the Senayan Trade Centre (STC).