TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno publically said that the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout pedestrian bridge (JPO) was not dismantled because of its unsightly visual appearance but because it was blocking the view of the Selamat Datang Monument in the middle of the roundabout.

“The JPO isn`t ugly, it`s just blocking the view. And our governor, as you know very much, likes aesthetics. Anies said that it is a good time to remove the JPO, the decision has been made,” said Sandiaga at Wisma Nusantara in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, July 31.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan assessed that the Selamat Datang Monument must be under the city’s main spotlight throughout the entire 2018 Asian Games event, and is the main drive on dismantling the pedestrian bridge.

Another reason Anies Baswedan said backs his decision to tear it down is the fact that pedestrians will be provided with an underpass that is connected to the upcoming MRT that is set to be complete in 2019.

As a temporary replacement for the pedestrian bridge, the city administration has constructed a pelican crossing not far from where the original JPO stood. Sandiaga Uno said that the short time span between the planning and its actual construction shows that the Jakarta administration is able to make quick decisions.

ZARA AMELIA