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AKARTA: Jakarta Public Works Agency will expand Jl. Basuki Rachmat in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, to reduce congestion around the area.

The project kicked off on Sunday and was slated to conclude its first stage in December, agency chief Edy Basworo said.

The road will be expanded to 14 meters from its current width of 10 meters by occupying the green lines along the road.

“The project encompasses 212 meters of the road and will be divided into two stages due to limited funding. The first stage is slated to be finished by December with Rp 2 billion [US$209,205] in funds from the regional budget,” Edy said on Saturday as reported by beritajakarta.com.

He said that the project was aimed at reducing congestion caused by traffic around Gembrong Market and to anticipate the completion of the Kampung Melayu-Tanah Abang toll road, which will evict street vendors from nearby sidewalks.