Jakarta to Start Construction on Monorail System

Jakarta (Antara) - A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Wednesday to mark the start of construction on the monorail project in Jakarta, said PT Jakarta Monorail President Director Bovanantoo. The ceremony will be held in Jalan Setiabudi Utara, Kuningan, at 9 a.m, he added. "Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo is scheduled to lead the ceremony to officially mark the start of construction," he said. A foundation for a pair of columns will be laid in Jalan Setiabudi Utara, Bovanantoo stated. "After that, new poles will be installed using bored piles. The old and new poles will be tested together for resilience," he said. The old and the new poles have different thresholds and therefore, a test has to be conducted to check their strength, he explained. He said a number of new poles will be required for the project, adding that a pole will be planted every 24 meter along the 11-km long green line. "We expect the construction of the green line to finish in three years. The total value of the project is US$1.5 billion," he said. Physical works will be carried out at night to avoid increasing traffic congestion in the area, he stated. "We have already coordinated with the city's transportation service so that in case a heavy traffic jam occurs, they can carry out rerouting," he said. PT Jakarta Monorail is collaborating with China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC) in the setting up of the monorail system as well as stations and an assembly plant. On October 10, the Jakarta Governor had flagged off the start of construction of a Mass Rapid Transport System. (*)