"Some construction of facilities (such as pedestrian pathways) along Sudirman Street (in Central and South Jakarta) will be completed by the end of July. We are now in the final stage of the preparations (for the Asian Games), and a month before the competition, all work will be completed," Beni Agus Chandra from the Jakarta Spatial Planning Agency said.
In accordance with the schedule, the new Sudirman Street will be open to public on July 22.
Apart from the main highway Sudirman Street, the city government has also made assurance that all construction work close to the athlete dorm will soon be completed before the competition.
"A large number of athletes will roam the Sudirman and Thamrin streets, (as they are situated near the athlete dorm). The city government is now seeking to accelerate all construction work in these areas," he remarked.
Meanwhile, speaking in connection with the extension of the odd-even traffic policy in Jakarta, Chandra stated that the evaluation is still underway.
"From our initial records, the traffic in Jakarta has run smoothly (due to the odd-even car policy)," he emphasized.
However, transporting athletes from the dorm to the venues may take over 30 minutes.
For instance, driving 42 kilometers from the dorm to the venue in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, at a standard speed will take more than 34 minutes.
A similar issue will be faced by athletes, who will compete in Taman Mini and Cibubur.
"Venues in Taman Mini and Cibubur are more distant as compared to other places. However, we are seeking to manage the traffic for the athletes," he stressed.
For the first time ever, the 18th Asian Games will be organized in the two cities of Jakarta and Palembang from Aug 18 to Sept 2.
Some 11 thousand athletes from 45 countries will compete in 40 sports categories, including basketball, bowling, volleyball, bridge, badminton, aquatics, athletics, cycling, golf, karate, archery, modern pentathlon, paragliding, squash, roller sports, taekwondo, tennis, and triathlon.
The Indonesia Asian Games 2018 Organizing Committee, or Inasgoc, had organized the trial events for several categories in February.
Meanwhile on July 15, the organizing committee will launch a torch relay in several cities across the country.
Reporter: Susylo Asmalyah
Editor: Bustanuddin
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
