Kebon Sirih Road to Be Concreted, No Longer Asphalted Due to Unstable Soil
The DKI Jakarta Bina Marga Agency is changing the repair method for Jalan Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta. The road will no longer be resurfaced using asphalt but will instead be concreted, after an evaluation showed the underlying soil conditions are unstable.
Head of the DKI Jakarta Bina Marga Agency, Heru Suwondo, stated that the decision was taken because Jalan Kebon Sirih repeatedly suffered damage even shortly after being repaired. “So, on Kebon Sirih, a few months after we asphalt the road, it always bleeds, always gets damaged, damaged, damaged,” Heru said at DKI Jakarta City Hall on Tuesday (21/7/2026).
Heru explained that his team subsequently conducted an evaluation using geo-radar technology. The results revealed that the soil conditions beneath the road are unstable, making asphalt repairs ineffective. “After we evaluated, after we used geo-radar, the soil is unstable. So, if we asphalt it again, the same thing will happen. That is why we are doing it with concreting,” he said.
The repair work on Jalan Kebon Sirih is currently being carried out along a 345-metre stretch. According to Heru, the work is contractually targeted for completion by September 2026. “Contractually, it’s September for Kebon Sirih,” he said.
He explained that the work is being done in stages to avoid closing the entire road at once. “It’s only 345 metres. Right now, we are working on the middle section. Once the middle is finished, we will move to the sides,” he continued.
Heru said the concreting method could potentially be applied to other road sections if similar soil conditions are found. However, for now, Jalan Kebon Sirih is the first location to use this method because it is the road that most frequently suffers damage after being asphalted. “Kebon Sirih is the one that always needs continuous repairs,” he concluded.
Traffic on Jalan Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta, was congested on Friday (17/7). The congestion was caused by road repairs that began on 9 July 2026 and are targeted for completion by the end of September 2026.