Skip to main content

Innovative road/drainage tunnel plan for Jakarta

An innovative combined road and drainage tunnel is being proposed for Indonesia’s capital Jakarta. A study is underway at the moment for this novel integrated tunnel project, which is expected to cost in the region of US$1.88 billion. Work is due to commence during 2015, with the initial phase of the construction being carried out by Antaredja Mulia Jaya. The project is calling for two 12km tunnels that will help alleviate flooding in the city during periods of high rainfall as well as featuring a road. The
February 16, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
RSSAn innovative combined road and drainage tunnel is being proposed for Indonesia’s capital Jakarta. A study is underway at the moment for this novel integrated tunnel project, which is expected to cost in the region of US$1.88 billion. Work is due to commence during 2015, with the initial phase of the construction being carried out by Antaredja Mulia Jaya. The project is calling for two 12km tunnels that will help alleviate flooding in the city during periods of high rainfall as well as featuring a road. The plan calls for the tunnels to be complete in three years. One of the tunnels will link Tanah Abang with Ulujami and the other will connect Manggarai with Bale Kambang.

The project is similar in concept at least to the 5333 Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel's (SMART) section constructed in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur some years ago. Like Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur also suffers from heavy rainfall at times and the two cities share similar climactic conditions. With a heavy focus on vehicle traffic for transportation, congestion was an issue in Kula Lumpur and the city authorities decided to tackle two issues in one by construction the SMART project. Jakarta’s traffic congestion is also a major problem.

For most of the time Kuala Lumpur’s SMART link operates as a dual deck road tunnel, providing an express route for traffic under the city. But during periods of heavy rain, its road decks are closed to cars and carry. The SMART tunnel is 9.8km long and its central 3km carries out the dual role, with traffic carried on two decks. Floodwater can be carried in the lowest portion of the tunnel, beneath the lower road deck. The road decks are protected from flooding to maximise safety and can also be closed to traffic and opened to flood flows when the water levels are particularly high.

Those involved in building the project in Jakarta stand to learn a lot from how the SMART link was constructed in Kuala Lumpur as it went, broadly speaking, to plan. Despite geological and technical challenges, the tunnel was constructed within the planned two year period and $464 million budget, without major incident.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New study into the impact of weather on Europe’s transport
    November 5, 2012
    A new study into the impact of extreme weather conditions on Europe’s transport network has been carried out by Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre. This broad-based study covered all 27 EU states and highlighted that some countries face significantly higher risks of transport disruption than others. This is the first study worldwide to evaluate risks to transport from weather phenomena on a country-specific and mode-specific basis. The study revealed that Poland faces particular problems, while other h
  • Stonehenge Bypass contract awarded to consortium
    October 3, 2022
    The Stonehenge Bypass contract has been awarded to a consortium.
  • Plans in hand for Slovakia’s longest tunnel
    June 16, 2014
    In Slovakia plans are being made for a new project that will become the country’s longest tunnel when it is complete. Salini Impregilo is the contractor heading the project. The work looks set to cost in the order of €410 million and the project is due for completion in late 2019 or early 2020. Although there was a lower priced bid for the project, this was excluded due to technical problems relating to the proposed tunnel exits. The Visnove Tunnel will measure some 7.7km long and will be constructed in the
  • Times they are a changing
    July 23, 2012
    Construction in China still appears to be on course for growth even with the gloomy economic outlook, as it enjoys "a strong budgets position." Patrick Smith reports One thing is certain in the current global economic climate: nothing is certain. And while China has not been unaffected by the economic events of recent months it has, according to Robert Zoellinck, president of the World Bank, a very strong current account and budgetary position. For some years, the nation has enjoyed double digit growth (the