New Hankam-Cikunir route eases traffic
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Suparjo, a resident of a housing complex in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, is thankful that during this year's rush to get out of town for the Idul Fitri holiday, the new Hankam-Cikunir toll road will let him and his family reach the Cikampek expressway in less than 30 minutes.
"Thank God, the route has opened. It saves us a lot of gas and time. It used to take over an hour just to reach the Cikampek toll road. And during mudik, I think it used to take us over two hours," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday on his way to Purwokerto, Central Java, with his family.
The new route opened on Saturday, just in time for the rush of people leaving town for the holiday.
Suparjo was just one of thousands of travelers grateful for the opening of the Hankam-Cikunir toll road, which stretches from Cilangkap in East Jakarta to Jatiasih in Bekasi, West Java.
The new toll road, which currently is open only to those people traveling from Cilangkap to Cikampek, but not in the other direction, will allow motorists from South Jakarta, including Bintaro and Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) in Tangerang, to avoid the Cawang intersection, which is notorious for its traffic jams.
Previously, travelers from South Jakarta, Bintaro and BSD had to pass through Cawang in East Jakarta to enter the Cikampek toll road. From Pondok Indah, for instance, motorists would require about 30 minutes to reach the Taman Mini tollgate, and then another 30 minutes to reach the Halim Perdana Kusuma route before arriving at the Pondok Gede Timur tollgate.
PT Jasa Marga's head of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, A. Tito Karim, however, acknowledged the opening of the Hankam- Cikunir route was temporary as parts of the road still required work.
"We opened the route to ease traffic at Cawang during the mudik season. After that we will close it again in order to continue our work," he said.
Tito said that through the second day of Idul Fitri, the Hankam-Cikunir toll road, which is part of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road, would be a one-way route serving motorists from the Jagorawi and Pondok Indah toll roads traveling to Cikampek.
After the second day of Idul Fitri until Nov. 7, the road will be a one-way route serving motorists from Cikampek traveling to Bogor or Pondok Indah.
Tito said PT Jasa Marga would not collect tolls on the route during this temporary opening, and urged motorists to drive with caution because work was still being done on several parts of the road.
Meanwhile, the police said that motorcycles were using the route but officers were powerless to stop them.
"We cannot do anything because the route is not fully a toll road yet. For now, all we can do is watch them and try and prevent any accidents," Brig. Suparman told the Post.
Motorcycles are illegal on all toll roads.
The 8.2-kilometer Hankam-Cikunir toll road has faced numerous difficulties since work began on it in the early 1990s. Many residents affected by the project refused to accept compensation for their land because they did not fell they were receiving a fair price.
Several residents went so far as to erect huts in the middle of the completed toll road to protest what they felt was their unfair treatment by the government.