Mangga Dua Square kicks off

JAKARTA: City Governor Sutiyoso inaugurated on Monday the commencement of construction of a foot bridge over Jl. Gunung Sahari, North Jakarta which will connect Mangga Dua Mall to the soon-to-be erected Mangga Dua Square.

The bridge will be the main link connecting Mangga Dua shopping areas and a new shopping center called the Mangga Dua Square.

The bridge, being constructed by a private developer PT Mandiri Dipta Cipta, would be handed over to the city administration in the next four months.

The developer's director, Herbowo said the Mangga Dua Square would be built on an 8.5-hectare piece of land formerly the site of the state-run Maritime Science Academy, which has been relocated to a 46-hectare area in Marunda, North Jakarta.

Herbowo went on to say that the Mangga Dua Square, which would house more than 265 shop-houses, a hypermarket, a shopping center and a bowling alley, will need an investment of approximately Rp 1 trillion (US$111 million).

Without speculating on a date that the project would be completed, Herbowo, who is a former Jakarta deputy governor for economic and development affairs, claimed the center would become the largest retail trading center in the country. -- JP