Alternative route to Soekarno-Hatta airport opens

(News Terupdate) - Section West 1 (W1) of the new Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) highway was opened on Monday, providing an alternative route to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten.

The turnpike stretches from Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, to Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

Designed mainly to facilitate passengers going to and from the airport, the 9.7-kilometer turnpike is also expected to ease severe traffic congestion at Tomang junction and around Penjaringan area as well as helping trucks and containers plying the Tangerang — Tanjung Priok Port route cut delivery time.

In his inauguration remark, Vice President Boediono said he hoped to see the highway contribute to the country’s economy.

“A vast transportation network will make the country’s logistical distribution systems more efficient,” he said.

“In turn, the price of goods and services could become cheaper.”

The construction of the Rp 2.3 trillion highway section took 18 months.

To raise public awareness about the alternative road, section Wl’s operators allowed motorists to use the toll road for free between Friday and Sunday.

After the official opening, the new road will cost motorists between Rp 7,000 (74 US cents) and Rp 21,500, the same price that applies to other sections of the JORR.

The highway operator is initially expecting to see 10,000 vehicles pass through the section each day, with that figure increasing to about 50,000 a day over the next six months.

Snezana Swasti, 26, a city resident who had tried driving along the highway section on Saturday, said the section could help her cut up to 25 minutes travelling time from Ancol, North Jakarta to her house in Kembangan, West Jakarta.

“I think I would take the section again when I want to go to Soekarno-Hatta airport,” Snezana, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Despite public enthusiasm for the new infrastructure, some people have complained about the construction of the toll road.

Residents of nearby Duri Kosambi and Rawa Buaya areas, West Jakarta, for example, say the new toll road has cut off the access between the two subdistricts.

Meanwhile, teachers and students of State Junior High School No. 264 in Rawa Buaya have also demanded the toll road operator build a pedestrian bridge for them to cross to get to school.

“Since the toll road has been built most of our students have to take another route to get to school,” Sumarsih, the school’s administration official, said.

“No wonder, many of them
come late.”

Posted in: News Today