Jakarta has begun preparations to dismantle more than 100 concrete columns left behind by a failed monorail project, ending a two-decade saga that has become a symbol of stalled infrastructure and unresolved accountability in Indonesia’s capital.
The removal of 109 unused monorail pillars along Jalan HR Rasuna Said in South Jakarta is scheduled to begin in the third week of January 2026. City officials say the decision is driven not by aesthetics alone, but by legal certainty, road safety and traffic flow on one of Jakarta’s busiest corridors.
Governor Pramono Anung said the provincial government had exhausted efforts to compel the original contractor to act.
Speaking to Tempo, Pramono said the obligation to dismantle the structures legally rests with state-owned construction firm PT Adhi Karya, based on court rulings and guidance from the Attorney General’s civil and administrative division.
“The pillars are the company’s assets, and therefore its responsibility,” he said.
From ultimatum to takeover
Jakarta’s administration held talks with Adhi Karya in October 2025 to discuss demolition plans and legal safeguards, but no agreement materialised. In November, the governor issued a formal ultimatum to the firm, which went unanswered.
With time running out, the city decided to take full control of the process, assigning the task to its Public Works Agency (Bina Marga).
Beyond demolition, the government plans a broader overhaul of the area. This includes road and drainage upgrades, pavement improvements, new street lighting, additional bus stops and urban furniture.
Tempo quoted Dinar Weni, head of Jakarta Bina Marga’s data and information centre, saying the entire package of works is expected to be completed by September 2026.
A project that never left the ground
Jakarta’s monorail was first proposed in 2004 under then-governor Sutiyoso, marketed as a flagship modern transport system. The project envisioned a five-kilometre line from Casablanca to Karet with 14 stations, backed by a consortium involving PT Jakarta Monorail and a Singapore-based partner.
Transport policy analyst Dedi Herlambang said the project’s structure was flawed from the start.
To Tempo, Dedi said the plan was split between substructure works handled by the contractor and superstructure development involving the city and a consortium that never fully materialised.
Funding collapsed after feasibility tests stalled, and the project failed to secure additional capital without government participation.
With an estimated investment of US$670m, most of it reliant on foreign loans, the project officially stalled in 2007. Attempts to revive it under governors Joko Widodo and later Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) also failed, leaving the concrete columns standing idle for years.
Public anger resurfaces
The decision to dismantle the pillars has reignited public frustration online, with many questioning why taxpayers are once again footing the bill.
One social media user wrote that Adhi Karya should be taken to court for causing losses to public funds, while another criticised what they saw as a contractor escaping responsibility while the city cleans up the mess.
A third comment reflected deeper cynicism, suggesting that abandoned mega-projects often point to misused or corrupted budgets, a perception that has followed the monorail saga for years.
For Jakarta’s government, removing the pillars is about closing a long-running chapter. For many residents, however, it is also a reminder of how ambitious projects, when poorly governed, can linger as concrete monuments to failure long after their promise fades.
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