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Jakarta. A section of road in North Jakarta leading to Tanjung Priok Port was reopened to the public on Sunday, following extensive repairs after it collapsed in September.

Djoko Murjanto, director general of the Public Works Ministry’s Bina Marga unit, which oversees roads, said the section of Jalan R.E. Martadinata would initially only be open to cars and motorcycles while officials gauges its strength over the next week.

He added that before it could be reopened to the all-important container traffic headed to Tanjung Priok, there would have to be agreement between all transportation authorities.

“On Monday, we’ll meet with the city police, transportation office and the North Jakarta administration,” he said.

“We’ll discuss whether the road is ready to function as normal, with the regular traffic of heavy container trucks.”

The 103-meter stretch of road collapsed into the Japat River on Sept. 16, disrupting traffic into and out of the port, but not causing any casualties.

Authorities and experts have blamed the collapse of the 20-year-old road on the abrasion of the supporting piles by tidal surges.

Since the collapse, traffic has been diverted to either the chronically congested Jalan Yos Sudarso or the inner-city toll road.

The repairs, carried out by state-owned contractor Wijaya Karya, cost Rp 9 billion ($999,000), with the money coming from the state budget’s emergency fund.

The repairs included the installation of 84 bored piles and 120 sheet piles, and the affected section of road has been raised 45 centimeters higher than before.

The bored piles have also been set deeper into the riverbed, up to 24 meters deep, in order to provide a more solid foundation to resist against tidal effects.

The previous piles had only been set 8 meters deep.

Djoko said the piles could each support 10 tons of load and were designed to last at least 20 years.

“We’ve also factored in earthquake damage,” he said, adding the ministry would carry out maintenance checks on the road every year.

Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said there was nothing wrong with the construction of the earlier section, blaming natural wearing effects for the collapse.

He said the new section had been built to the same standards as the elevated toll road to Soekarno-Hatta International the airport, which is also constructed over wetlands.

“The construction of this new section is sound,” he said.

“The Public Works Ministry wouldn’t work on something that we weren’t sure of.”

The ministry is currently inspecting other roads across North Jakarta that are exposed to similar wearing effects.

Bina Marga’s Djoko said officials had identified one road “in similar condition” to Jalan R.E. Martadinata, near the Ancol theme park, which he said the ministry would begin repairing next year.

Commuters have welcomed the reopening of Jalan R.E. Martadinata, which they say will make their journeys shorter. Arifin, who lives in Tanjung Priok, said that for the past three months he had been forced to leave for work earlier in the morning.

“Before the collapse, when I took Jalan R.E. Martadinata, it only took me 30 minutes to get to my office in Roxy [West Jakarta],” he said.

“But since the road was closed, it’s taken me an hour.”

Vina, the owner of an imported fruit company with a warehouse located on Jalan R.E. Martadinata, said the collapse had been costly for her business.

“I’m really glad the repairs are complete,” she said.

“I just want the road to reopen so I can run my business as usual.”

Vina imports fruit from China, the United States and Thailand, which is brought to her warehouse by truck from Tanjung Priok.

She said that with the closure of the road, her trucks have had to take a longer route to get to and from the port, leading to higher costs for fuel and drivers’ overtime pay.