TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Mass Rapid Transit project in front of the Education and Culture Ministry at Sudirman Street, South Jakarta, seemed to have suddenly stopped with no ongoing activities spotted in the area. Not one heavy equipment was operating.
Apparently, the project have moved to the earth’s belly. 8-meters beneath the asphalt, workers are busy with various activities. Some are spraying water, sweeping, and excavating the ground with a tractor. “We spray water so the concrete would not crack,” Construction Manager Project Contract 104 Masao Hino said Thursday, July 30.
The concrete is created as a pedestal of Senayan Station. The underground station will be constructed of two floors measuring 200 meters long and 19.3 meters wide, Masao said. The first floor will be built for a public area such as food court. “The development has begun since October 2013 and will be completed this Auguts,” said Masao.
The tractor, that is currently dredging the ground is starting to construct the second floor. The depth will be around 7.5 meters below the first floor. According to Masao, the second floor will be built for a waiting room. Both floors are scheduled to complete its development by 2018.
This is a joint project between Japan and Indonesia; Shimizu, Obayasi, Wijaya Karya, Jaya Konstruksi Joint Venture (SOWJ).
PT MRT Jakarta CEO Dono Boestami said besides Senayan subway station, there are five other stations simultaneously constructed by the contractor, including Istora Senayan, Bendungan Hilir, Setia Budi, Dukuh Atas and Hotel Indonesia Circle. Before the dredging, the contractor will first create a diaphragm wall so that water will not enter the project area.
In order to create an underground railway, Dono said, two Japanese-brand tunnel boring machine are ready in a warehouse in Cakung, East Jakarta, for checking. In September, the machine having an outside diameter of 6.65m and 6.05 inner diameter and 10m drill bit is starting to drill the western part of the Pemuda Membangun Statue. “The drilling from Hotel Indonesia Roundabout will begin next year,” said Dono.
Dono is confident that the subway development will be completed on time. The project is slightly experiencing a delay in construction from Blok M to Lebak Bulus due to land acquisition issue. “We will change the design because we have waited too long,” he said.
In T.B. Simatupang Street, only 832 square meters of land has been acquitted from the total of 2,350 square meters required. The land is needed to build three rail track pillars that is ascending over Fatmawati toll road. If not acquitted, the pillars will be shifted 10 meters from its previous plan and will require to spend billions of additional expense.
The government is still negotiation with land owners. “They demand a higher price, some requested that their land are remeasured,” said South Jakarta Governemnt Secretary Henry Supardan.
Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama plans to submit the estimated price to the court for consignment.
HUSSEIN ABRI YUSUF
