The highway is projected to be finished in 2017."Palembang (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said the benefit of constructing a highway connecting Palembang and Indralaya must be seen in terms of the next 50 to 100 years.
"If we do not make roads infrastructure our priority, it will be outweighed by the construction of houses and buildings, which will lead to a high cost of land acquisition," the President said while visiting the Palembang-Indralaya highway project in the Ogan Ilir district, South Sumatra, on Thursday.
Acknowledging that the economic value of the highway project could not be obtained in the short term, President Jokowi emphasized that it would be very helpful in preventing traffic jams, currently occurring in Palembang.
The 22-kilometer Palembang-Indralaya highway was developed on a tough terrain, which included 17 kilometers of swamp areas.
The Palembang-Indralaya toll road, which is a branch of the Lampung-Palembang-Aceh axis, has been built for 11 kilometers.
"This project was started in July 2015, and all I can see is that the progress is really nice considering its difficult terrain," the President affirmed.
It was a challenge to pump water in advance, before paving and coating the road with asphalt.
"The highway is projected to be finished in 2017," President Jokowi stated.
(Reported by Agus Salim/Uu.Y013/INE/KR-BSR/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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