New Cipularang toll road closed
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
The new Cikampek-Purwakarta-Padalarang (Cipularang) toll road was closed on Sunday, shortly after being used by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to attend the commemoration of the Asian- African Conference jubilee celebrations in Bandung.
Jasa Marga official Singgih S. said the road was closed because the 41.3-km toll road did not yet have complete markings and signs.
"We're reanalyzing all standard facilities that the toll road should have. The road lights are maybe good enough, (we only need) some signs and markings," he told The Jakarta Post in Bandung on Monday.
With the new toll road, the trip from Bandung-Jakarta, which is about 160 kilometers, can be made in up to three and a-half hours, down from the normal time of around five hours.
Under the contract, the toll road, which cost Rp 1.6 trillion (US$168.4 million) to build and was timed to be complete with the conference's anniversary celebration, should have finished on April 7.
The road, which comprises of nine sections built by nine contractors, stretches from Sadang, Purwakarta to Cipada- Cikamuning and is connected to the Jakarta-Cikampek and Padalarang-Cileunyi toll roads.
Singgih said the company was waiting for the central government's go-ahead before it opened the route.
"We have not received the permits for our toll charges yet. We propose Rp 355 per kilometer or Rp 29,000 total for the Jakarta- Bandung route," he said.
Meanwhile, Bandung Governor Danny Setiawan and Mayor Dada Rosada organized a gala on Monday to celebrate the city's success in hosting the summit's golden jubilee.
In a ceremony organized at the Bandung City Hall and attended by hundreds of committee members, the governor conveyed the President's message, thanking Bandung residents as well as apologizing to them if the event had disrupted their activities.
Many residents were trapped in traffic jams along main Bandung thoroughfares during the weekend summit, which centered around Gedung Merdeka. Others were stranded in the Padalarang and Kiaracondong train stations because rail traffic was stopped for three hours to ensure the safety of attending heads of state.
"Personally, I'm touched and proud that the event went so smoothly," Danny said.
A temporary evaluation showed the event, which had cost the Bandung provincial and mayoralty administrations at least Rp 80 million, was a success.
He did not explain how this success was measured.