Over 25% of West Java highways badly damaged

Over 25% of West Java highways badly damaged

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

At least a quarter of the 2,300 kilometers of highways in West
Java are in a serious state of disrepair and repair work has been
hampered by the stalled disbursement of state funds.

The head of West Java Bina Marga road management office Zaenal
Arifin told a hearing with the provincial legislative council's
commission D overseeing forestry, road and building
infrastructure that the figure was based on his office's data.

"Repair work will only start in July to sort out 80 percent of
the roads that are in disrepair, because bureaucratic procedures
have delayed the disbursement of the fund," he said on Wednesday.

He said the 575 kilometers of damaged highways spread across
the province are mostly used as roads for vehicles carrying food
and vegetable supplies to Jakarta, such as the Purwakarta to
Sadang route.

Zaenal said his office will complete proposals for the repair
work later this month, but will not be able to start the project
immediately.

"We first have to offer the project to contractors under a
tender system," he said, adding that the repair work will only
begin at least 46 days after the winner is announced, and is
expected to finish next August.

Zaenal said the damage partly stemmed from natural factors,
such as floods and landslides following heavy rains. However, he
admitted human error played the most destructive role, as trucks
with excessive loads were frequently allowed to pass along the
highways freely.

As an example, he said many large trucks loaded with 50 tons
used the province's roads daily. Highways should accommodate
vehicles with a maximum load of eight tons.

"We have received a report from Purwakarta Police claiming
that at least 4,000 overloaded trucks pass along the Sadang to
Purwakarta route every day," he said.

It is common in Indonesia for truck drivers to bribe police
who stop their vehicles for exceeding official weight loads.

In a response to Zaenal's statement, a local councillor,
speaking at the same hearing, blamed the damage on fraudulent
developers who used poor quality construction materials for road
repair projects.

"In order to increase their profits, they mix the road
material with cheap stuff. As a result, the roads quickly fall
apart," he said.

Zaenal added the provincial administration allocated only Rp
170 billion from the budget last year to repair damaged roads,
even though more than Rp 1 trillion was needed for the projects.

The Rp 170 billion fund was only 15.7 percent of Rp 1.9
trillion collected from vehicle taxes.

He suggested that at least 30 percent of the tax, the largest
source of revenue in West Java, be allocated for this year's road
development projects.