Toll road to link Serpong to international airport

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

A second route to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport from Banten is in the pipelines, as the selection process for investors in the Serpong-airport toll road project draws to an end.

"The Toll Road Management Body at the Ministry of Public Works will hold a second meeting on Dec. 15 to select investors interested in the project," Dadang Durahman, chief of strategic planning at the Tangerang Municipal Development Planning Body, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Dadang said the municipality started the feasibility study for the Rp 2 trillion (US$200 million) project in 2002 and completed it in 2004.

"We hope through the second meeting, the Toll Road Management Body (BPJT) will be able to select qualified investors that can fulfill the requirements to participate in the bidding process for the project in January," he said.

He said that, based on the feasibility study results, the 15- kilometer toll road with an average width of 50 meters would need a total of Rp 2 trillion in investment.

The new toll road will start from a junction at the Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) housing complex in Tangerang and pass by several housing compounds such as Villa Melati Mas, Alam Sutra, Modern Land, Banjar Wijaya and Poris.

He said that the project would be fully financed by the private investors that won the bid.

"The municipal administration will only facilitate land acquisition for the project," he said.

He said that there was no problem in acquiring land for the project from BSD to Jl. Hasyim Ashari in Cipondoh as the land belonged to some developers.

"We will likely face problem in acquiring land from Jl. Hasyim Ashari to the airport as the land needed for the project is owned by residents. We have sent a letter to the central government to request a one-year period to introduce the project to the residents," he said.