"Progress in land clearing has come close to 100 percent," Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Public Works and Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the country`s longest toll roads - 2,900 kilometer Trans Sumatra and 660 kilometers Trans Java - will be fully operational before the end of this year.

Land clearing, the biggest drag in the implementation of toll road projects is expected to be wrapped up in January that implementation could be accelerated, the minister said.

"Progress in land clearing has come close to 100 percent," he said after attending a coordinating meeting with Minister for State Enterprises Rini Soemarno, Agrarian Affairs and Layout Minister Sofyan Djalil, here on Wednesday.

He said there is no more difficulty in land clearing for Trans Java toll road project as well as for Trans Sumatra toll road project.

"If the process of land clearing is completed in January, construction of Trans Java and Trans Sumatra toll road could be operational before the end of this year," he repeated.

In August the section of the Trans Sumatra toll road could be put into function ahead of the Asian Games in 2018 in Palembamg and in June in a number of other areas ahead of Ied ul Fitr, he said.

Trans Java`s sections of Pemalang-Batang, Batang-Semarang, Semarang-Solo, Solo-Ngawi, Ngawi-Kertosono, and Pandaan-Malang-Parusuan, would be operational in 2018 ; and the sections of Pasuruan-Probolinggo-Banyuwangi is expected to follow in 2019.

Land clearing for the 49.5 kilometer section of Ngawi-Kertosono, already reached 99.88 percent , and land clearing for the 77.64 section of Semarang-Solo had been 99.15 percent completed; for the 39.2 kilometer section of Pemalang-Batang reached 99.29 percent, for the 57.5 kilometer section of Pejagan-Pemalang already reached 99.99 percent, the minister said.

Meanwhile, construction of the Trans Sumatra toll road sections of Bakauheni-Terbanggi Besar, Terbanggi Besar-Pematang Panggang, and Pematang Pangang-Kayu Agung-Palembang is to be finished in May 2018, he said.

"We could be assured that the construction of the Trasn Java and Trans Sumatra toll roads could completed as expected with the land clearing expected to be finished in January 2018," he said.

The government also is yet to build by phases a 4,350 kilometer Trans Papua toll road, he added.

(T.SYS/A/H-ASG/F001)

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018