Resurfacing set for 42 streets

JAKARTA (JP): As part of its routine property and public facility maintenance programs, the city administration will resurface 42 major streets, an official said on Thursday.

"The repair projects, estimated to cost some Rp 16 billion (US$ 2.2 million), were scheduled to start in the second week of January," head of the City Public Works Agency Fadly Khatib said at City Hall.

"However, we delayed the projects until the end of the rainy reason."

He feared the postponement would create the impression among the public that his agency was negligent in meeting its commitments.

Fadly said the resurfacing would involve separate phases.

"There will be six contractors working on the 10 phases. Each phase will cost some Rp 1.4 billion to Rp 2.1 billion," he said, indicating the projects would be financed by the 1999/2000 city budget.

He declined to reveal the overall length of the streets to be resurfaced.

"The level of street damage in the city is small, only some 5 percent from the total street length," he said.

Data show that the city streets are more than 6,500 kilometers in length and about 20.56 million square meters in area. (05)