The representatives from Japanese highway developer Metropolitan Expressways Co. Ltd. (MEX) visited the City Hall, Thursday (10/2), to meet Jakarta Vice Governor Basuki T Purnama. In that occasion, they offer participation in the construction of six inner-city toll roads in Jakarta.

They (MEX) have a long experience in building elevated toll roads

Deputy Governor of Jakarta Transportation Division, Sutanto Soehodho, who attended the meeting, acknowledged that his party is interested with such offer. Moreover, MEX is a company that plays important roles in the construction of elevated toll roads in Tokyo, Japan.

“They (MEX) have a long experience in building elevated toll roads,” he said.

Moreover, Soehodho disclosed that the construction of the six inner-city toll roads will use elevated construction as applied in Tokyo. This way is chosen because of expensive land price and limited land availability. Thus, transportation infrastructure construction project in Jakarta would be more ideal if it referred to Tokyo.

“Jakarta is a modern city like Tokyo, instead of old city like London and Paris. Thus, its development concept would be more similar to them (Tokyo). We’ll find out how to speed up construction, either roads or railways as in Tokyo,” he uttered.

Meanwhile, MEX Technical Consultant Director, Mitsonobu Ogihara, explained that mass transportation construction in Tokyo is always in line with toll roads construction. This is because not all movement in the city can be accommodated entirely by rail-based mass transportation system. Thus, elevated roads in the middle of Tokyo city are still needed for traffic flow of people and goods.

According to him, there is no city in the world that relies on the mobility of its citizens through mass transportation without providing adequate road ratio. Therefore, Ogihara assesses that Jakarta Provincial Government’s decision on building six toll roads in the city is already right.

In his opinion, the construction of six inner-city toll roads in Jakarta will be better if it used elevated construction. Besides saving money for land acquisition, the existing lands are also still needed for green open spaces (RTH).

“75 percent or approximately 301.3 kilometers of toll roads in Tokyo are elevated roads built above rivers and canals and pass on skyscrapers in the middle of the city,” he told.