Jakarta Announces Plan for Integrated Tunnels to Manage Traffic and Floods

Jakarta. The city administration said it would begin building two dual-purpose tunnels by the end of the year in an effort to address increasingly dire conditions on the capital’s gridlocked, flood-prone streets.

Private building contractor Antaredja Mulia Jaya has been awarded a contract for the Jakarta Integrated Tunnel (JIT) project.

“The JIT development will be in collaberation with French investor Bouygues,” Antaredja head Agus Sidharta said on Friday at City Hall. “Bouygues is an international company that has taken part in the development of tunnels in Europe, Africa, United States, and China.

The tunnels — connecting Ulujami to Tanah Abang and Pasar Minggu to Manggarai — have been designed to carry flood water and traffic on separate levels, at a projected cost of Rp 34 trillion ($2.92 billion), Indonesian news portal Kompas.com reported.

Agus said his company would work with Jakarta’s toll road developer to build and maintain the road portion of the project.

Each tunnel is set to measured 11 meters in diameter and 12 kilometers in length, from 5 to 15 meters below ground.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said that the city government had given the project its full approval and saw it as a sensible plan for the city.

Source : Jakartaglobe