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Police to close certain roads during pope’s Jakarta visit
The Jakarta Police have announced temporarily road closures to accommodate Pope Francis's tight itinerary during his visit to the city, while the local transport agency has advised alternative routes for road users.
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Police officers direct traffic on Sept. 2, 2024 in Jakarta in front of billboards welcoming Pope Francis to the world's largest Muslim-majority country. The 87-year-old pontiff is on an ambitious four-nation tour to Southeast Asia, starting with a visit to Indonesia to strengthen interfaith ties, followed by stops in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore over 12 days. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
T
he Jakarta Metropolitan Police plan to temporarily close some roads along the routes included in Pope Francis’s itinerary for his visit to the city, beginning with his arrival on Tuesday.
The 87-year-old pontiff is scheduled to arrive at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, and is staying in the city for four days before he leaves for Papua New Guinea on Friday.
Following his arrival, the pope is heading directly to the Vatican Embassy in Central Jakarta, where he is expected to stay throughout his Jakarta visit.
Jakarta Police traffic director Sr. Comr. Latif Usman said the papal entourage planned to travel Sedyatmo Toll Road and inner city toll roads to reach Jl. Jend. Sudirman and continue along Jl. Thamrin to reach the embassy compound.
“All routes the pope will travel through will be cleared,” Latif said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas.com, adding that the roads would be reopened for public use immediately afterward.
On Wednesday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is hosting a formal welcome for Pope Francis at Merdeka Palace.
The pontiff then heads to Jakarta Cathedral for a meeting with regional bishops, priests and other church leaders, for which the police are closing all roads near Jl. Harmoni as well as Tugu Tani Monument and Arjuna Wijaya Statue in Central Jakarta.
Read also: Catholics eager to welcome Pope Francis in Jakarta this week
On Thursday, the pope is scheduled to visit Istiqlal Mosque and then travel to Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Central Jakarta to lead mass, which more than 70,000 people are expected to attend.
Latif said the Jakarta Police would impose several measures to manage traffic around the GBK Sports Complex, starting at 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The police plan to deploy 4,730 officers to secure the pontiff’s visit to Jakarta, Kompas.id reported.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta Transportation Agency has advised road users to take alternative routes during the papal visit.
These include Jl. Juanda and Jl. Gunung Sahari on Wednesday, and Jl. Tentara Pelajar and Jl. Abdul Muis ahead of mass at GBK Stadium on Thursday.
Authorities are also encouraging the public, including people who intend to attend the GBK mass, to use public transportation including Transjakarta buses and the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) to avoid congestion.
Jakarta is the first stop on Pope Francis’s two-week Southeast Asian tour, said to be the longest foreign trip during his 11-year papacy. After Indonesia, the pontiff is slated to visit Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore. Pope Francis is the third pope to visit Indonesia, after Pope Paul VI in 1970 and Pope John Paul II in 1989 during the Soeharto administration. (jan)
