T

he Jakarta Police have warned the company contracted to build a culvert along Jl. Sudirman in South Jakarta for causing chronic traffic congestion.

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Baharudin Djafar said that if the contractor, PT Idee Murni Pratama, did not immediately improve the situation, it would be summoned by the police.

“We have sent two warning letters, and we will summon them if there’s still no response,” he said.

Baharudin said that although the culvert work was urgent as it was expected to help ease flooding during the rainy season, the police had received a lot of complaints from the public about traffic.

The construction work has caused almost continuous traffic jams on both sides of Jl. Sudirman, as the construction blocks one lane of the slow lane, and heavy machinery has been parked on the street.

In addition, the project has also disturbed pedestrians because the sidewalk is blocked with construction material, including massive concrete slabs.

Last week, the police sent a warning letter to the company, asking that it fully comply with road work safety standards, including placing traffic cones around the construction site, installing lights, and that all workers wear special reflective clothing.

The police also asked the contractor to use heavy machinery only after 10 p.m. so that it would not interrupt traffic during the day.

“We also ask that the contractor do their work more neatly because they just leave the earth they dig from the street on the road, which creates a hazard when it rains,” said the head of security and safety at the Jakarta Traffic Police, Adj. Comr. Yakub Dedy Karyawan.

Separately, the City Public Agency said that it had also reprimanded the contractor.

“We have reprimanded the contractor and we have also coordinated with the police,” said Novizal, the agency’s deputy chief.

He said that he had asked the company to immediately erect warning signs around the construction site, and clean up all of the earth that they had dumped on the road.

Slamet, the supervisor of the workers, said the culvert concrete supports had been placed on the sidewalk to make installation easier.

He said that the workers were working around the clock to ensure that they would be finished in time for the Southeast Asian Games.

“At noon, the workers usually do the steel supports and other light works,” he said, adding that he did not know when the project would be completed.

The project started early this month, and it will be halted temporarily if it has not been completed before the SEA Games, which will take place from Nov. 11-22.