Agency races against time to fix damaged roads

Mon, 10/13/2008 11:34 AM  |  City

The city administration is racing against time to patch up the remaining potholed roads before the rainy season inflicts more damage.

Transportation agency's deputy head Budi Widiantoro said some 2 million of Jakarta's 40 million square meters of roads were susceptible to damage during the rainy season.

"I'm sure road repairs can be finished this year because, of the 2 million square meters, only 10,000 square meters remain in need of repair," Budi said.

He said the agency had allocated Rp 60.5 billion (US$ 6.2 million) for road repairs this year.

"The five municipalities in Jakarta also have received between Rp 20 billion and Rp 30 billion each for road repairs," he added.

Besides paying for road repair, the agency will outlay Rp 2.5 billion each for two roadwork projects in West Jakarta's Kembangan business district and in East Jakarta's Pulogadung business district.

The agency will also allocate Rp 10 billion for busway projects and another Rp 10.5 billion to fortify some roads.

"We didn't want to overburden this year's budget, so we've scheduled some projects in stages over several years," Budi said.

Councilor Sayogo Hendrosubroto said the city could schedule road repairs over multiple years.

"Jakarta needs a big budget for road repair projects because a road's lifetime is only five years. Sometime repairs are more expensive than building new roads. So rather than spending a big chunk of the budget in one year, it's better for the city to divide the funds into several small projects, commencing one each year," he said.

Heavy rain, poor drainage and the city's relentless traffic have corroded street surfaces and created large depressions which worsen flooding.

Potholes rent during the rainy season caused numerous accidents in February and March in which dozens of motorists were killed or injured. Potholes generally hamper traffic and result in higher transportation costs for businesses.

The city's inner and outer ring roads in North and East Jakarta have also suffered severe damage which has caused massive traffic congestion in lanes heading toward the Tanjung Priok port.

The damage may have serious repercussions for the country's economy since up to 60 percent of the country's exports and imports pass through Tanjung Priok.

The agency had repaired 227,722 square meters by May, about 78 percent of all damaged roads. Of the total repairs requisitioned, 88,156 square meters were for repairing potholes alone. The roadwork also included damaged busway lanes. -- JP/Tifa Asrianti

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