Construction Of MRT Phase 2 Begins, Traffic On Jalan MH Thamrin Is Engineered

Illustration (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

JAKARTA - Construction of Phase 2 of the Integrated Highway (MRT) began on Friday, July 24, along Jalan MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta. The DKI Transportation Agency carried out traffic engineering on the CP201 construction package.

Head of the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, said that the traffic engineering for the construction of the CP201 MRT package will run until March 30, 2021. Although it is still passable, Syafrin advised motorists to find other ways to reduce congestion.

"It is appealed to road users to avoid these sections and be able to adjust the traffic regulations, comply with signs, and prioritize road safety," said Syafrin in his statement, Friday, July 24.

In detail, the construction work on the MRT on Jalan MH Thamrin starts from the Bundaran HI MRT station to the National Monument fountain roundabout (the Arjuna Wiwaha Horse Statue).

In the first stage, there was a detour or widening of Jalan MH Thamrin on the meter side in front of the Sinarmas building and the east side starting from the front of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) building to the Bank Indonesia Building.

In addition, the placement of the Transjakarta route has also been shifted. There was a demolition of the Bank Indonesia Transjakarta bus stop. There will be temporary replacement stops nearby.

"There was a reduction of one lane along the working area from 24 July to 30 November 2020," said Syafrin.

Furthermore, on stage two, there is a work area using the median of the middle lane and the Transjakarta route along the work area. Bank Indonesia Transjakarta bus stops will be moved to the east side of the Bank Indonesia building and in front of Wisma Mandiri.

Then, the Transjakarta bus lane will mix with regular public transportation routes. The bus will move to the far left lane, adjusting the location of the temporary stop.

"Detours or the widening of Jalan MH Thamrin on the west and east sides can be used for traffic," he said.

Meanwhile, the parties responsible for the safety and security of road users at the work site are Shimuzu and Adhi Karya (joint venture) as executors of the MRT construction work.

The construction of MRT phase 2 will cost Rp. 22.5 trillion. Initially, the construction of the MRT phase 2 was expected to be completed in 2024. However, there has been a delay in the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is possible that the construction will be completed in 2025.

This project has 7 contract packages, consisting of CP200 to CP206. CP200 covers the construction of substation structures. The CP201 to CP203 packages are the construction of the Sarinah to City MRT station.

Then, CP204 is the construction of the railways system work, CP205 is the construction of the railway system, signaling, and telecommunications, then CP206 is the procurement of MRT trains.

In detail, the 5.8-kilometer MRT route has seven stations, all of which are underground, namely Sarinah, Monas, Harmoni, Sawah Besar, Mangga Besar, Glodok, and Kota.

Although not as long as the MRT phase one which has a route of 15.7 kilometers with 13 stations, the construction of the MRT phase two will be more complicated and have more obstacles. Technically, the tunnel work is under the river, namely the Batang Hari River on Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk.

The existence of a river in the phase two of the MRT route has made the construction of tunnels that pass through the Sawah Besar and Mangga Besar areas to be built terraced. In this area, the depth of the tunnel can reach more than 30 meters below ground level.

Not only that, another obstacle that must be considered in MRT phase two is that its construction will pass through the area around the Old City with many cultural heritage.