Serpong-P. Aren Barat new toll road opens

Serpong-P. Aren Barat new toll road opens

JAKARTA (JP): The Serpong-Pondok Aren Barat toll road, the
first part of the planned toll road between Jakarta and Bumi
Serpong Damai (BSD) housing complex, is scheduled to start
operation on Tuesday, an official said.

The director general of road construction of the Ministry of
Public Works, Tjuk Sudarsono, said on Friday that initially the
6.9-kilometer toll road section was intended only for vehicles in
the group I classification, namely sedans, jeeps, small trucks
and minibuses.

"This decision was taken as the road is not yet able to serve
heavier vehicles," Sudarsono was quoted by Antara as saying.

He explained that in line with Presidential Decree No. 11/1999
dated Jan. 27, the toll for the new road for group I vehicles was
set at Rp 2,000.

The toll has been set at Rp 3,500 for vehicles in the group
IIA classification for bigger trucks or buses, and Rp 4,500 for
larger trucks and buses.

"Tolls for other groups of vehicles will be effective only
after all facilities to support them on the toll road is
completed," he said.

When asked whether the tolls were not too expensive, he said
that they had been calculated in line with the existing formula
and had been discussed with members of the House of
Representatives.

Commenting on the construction of the second part of the
project, stretching 5.9 kilometers between Pondok Aren and
Ulujami in South Jakarta, Sudarsono said it was initially planned
that it would be built by state-owned highway corporation PT Jasa
Marga.

But due to a lack of funds, PT Jasa Marga would only build
about 2.5 kilometers of it between Pondok Aren and Viaduct
Bintaro.

The rest -- between Viaduct Bintaro and Ulujami -- would be
offered to private companies, he said.

PT Jasa Marga's spokesman David Wijayanto explained that the
Serpong-Pondok Aren Barat toll road section was built at a cost
of Rp 249 billion by a consortium, the members of which include
PT Bumi Serpong Damai, the developer of the BSD housing complex,
and PT Jaya Real Property, among others.

In its cooperation with PT Jasa Marga, the project was built
on a build-operate-and-transfer scheme with a concession period
of 27 years.

The operation of the toll road is expected to further develop
the BSD area, where there is an increasing number of foreign
investments. (hhr)