Monorail developer warns of more traffic woes ahead
Monorail developer warns of more traffic woes ahead
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As the monorail construction work started again after it stopped
for months, the project developer made a public apology on Monday
for the traffic disruption it has caused, suggesting the public
avoid the affected streets.
This week, PT Jakarta Monorail simultaneously started work
from Jl. Palmerah to Jl. Pejompongan, Central Jakarta, from Jl.
Karet Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, to Jl. HR Rasuna Said, South
Jakarta, and from the Ambassador Mall in South Jakarta to Jl. KH
Mas Mansyur in Central Jakarta.
"The construction definitely affects the traffic. We apologize
for the inconvenience caused ... we will cooperate with the City
Transportation Agency to help reroute traffic in those spots,"
technical head of the monorail project, R. Bovanantoo, told a
media briefing here on Monday.
Aside from the three locations, the consortium also continued
with construction work on Jl. Asia Afrika on Monday.
The Jakarta administration urged investors last week to go
ahead with the project as there was no significant progress seen
since it started in June.
PT Jakarta Monorail director Sukmawaty Syukur argued that the
company had to make some changes in the project.
"We don't want to rush in without an accurate blueprint," she
asserted.
Since the groundbreaking ceremony presided over by president
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the consortium has made several major
changes in the monorail route.
It had altered the Blue Line route to Kampung Melayu, East
Jakarta, - Mal Taman Anggrek, West Jakarta, from the initial
Kampung Melayu - Roxy shopping center route.
The company has also rerouted its Green Line through prime
business areas -- Kuningan, Sudirman and Senayan -- as the State
Secretary opposed the use of the Bung Karno Sports Complex in
Senayan.
Sukmawaty denied that the project had hit a snag due to
financial problems as most foreign investors had yet to disburse
their funds for the project.
However, she admitted that some foreign financial
institutions, like the Asian Development Bank, Islamic
Development Bank and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation
(JBIC) had requested the company to complete some documents
required to process the loans.
"Those documents include several gubernatorial decrees on the
area used for the monorail project," she said.
Despite the obstructions, the company said that it would be
able to finish the project on time.
The Green Line is to be finished by the end of 2006, while the
Blue Line in early 2007.