Indonesia: Get ready: MRT project will worsen traffic

Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta Post, 8 Oct 13;

Mass rapid transit (MRT) project operator PT MRT Jakarta is preparing to minimize the disruption the MRT construction, set to commence very soon, will have.

MRT Jakarta president director Dono Boestami said the company would do whatever necessary to disseminate information regarding the project to the public.

“We are installing CCTV cameras at every construction point and residents can check the real-time video on our website so they can plan their trips accordingly,” Dono told a press conference on Monday at a Jakarta hotel.

The company has also coordinated with the Jakarta Transportation Agency, the City Police as well as accounts on Twitter such as @lewatmana to distribute information regarding the construction activities.

“We will also distribute brochures on the construction activities so motorists can plan reroutes in case of traffic jams,” he said, explaining that disruption to traffic flow would be inevitable.

“Just think of it like fasting. We fast during the day and break at dawn. I hope residents will understand that all the suffering will bring a good result once the project is completed,” he added.

Separately, Governor Joko Widodo reiterated that residents should be cooperative to ensure the project would be a success.

“Traffic gridlock is a consequence we should all bear. I hope residents will understand,” he said.

The company plans to hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the first MRT track, which will connect Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, on Thursday in Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta.

The contractor has also prepared mitigation efforts in case of heavy rainfall, according to MRT Jakarta construction director Muhammad Natsir.

“A number of pumps will be prepared to anticipate flooding,” he said.

The consortium includes developers with dozens of years of experience, which should impact positively on the project as a whole.

The MRT construction project is divided into eight packages, comprising three underground civil works, three elevated civil works, the MRT system and the MRT rolling stock.

Consortiums Shimizu-Obayashi-Wijaya Karya-Jaya Konstruksi and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Company-Hutama Karya have been appointed to carry out the three underground work packages.

The construction of the first phase of the MRT track will be funded by a ¥125 billion (US$1.29 billion) soft loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The central government agreed to repay 49 percent of the loan, while the city administration will pay the rest over a loan period of 40 years, with a grace period of 10 years at an interest rate of below 1 percent.

The track will have six underground stations, seven elevated stations and capacity for up to 173,000 passengers per day. The first phase of work requires Rp 3.6 trillion in funding.

The construction of the first MRT track is expected to be completed by the end of 2017 and set to operate in the first quarter of the following year.