Nganjuk, E Java (ANTARA News) - Continued development of the Trans-Java toll road from the westernmost part of the island, which is the Merak Port in Banten, Jakarta, to Probolinggo in East Java, will be connected by the end of 2018.

"The Trans-Java toll road from Merak to Probolinggo will become operational for the Christmas and year-end holidays," Desi Arryani, state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga`s president director, informed journalists in Surabaya on Monday.

The 1,200-kilometer toll road will stretch from Merak, Banten, to Banyuwangi, East Java.

Currently, construction of the toll road connecting Surabaya to Probolinggo is in the completion stage. From Probolinggo, the road will continue to be built to Banyuwangi, with a distance of 172.9 kilometers.

As for the Merak-Surabaya route, currently, some sections, such as the Ngawi-Wilangan section, have yet to be fully completed.

"From Ngawi to Wilangan, indeed several sections are still being developed. From Ngawi to Solo, it is already 100 percent complete," Arryani noted.

State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno expected the Merak-Surabaya section can be ready for operations in December this year in order to improve connectivity and logistics between several cities that drive Java`s economy.

Soemarno leads an expedition of the Trans-Java toll road starting this Monday from Surabaya to Jakarta.

The expedition is estimated to take 14 to 16 hours of overland trip, which passes through all the segments of the toll road.

If all the Trans-Java sections and the development of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road are completed, the maximum travel time for the Jakarta-Surabaya road trip is 10 hours.

Departing from the Waru Gunung Toll Gate in Surabaya, Soemarno and her team will cross the Surabaya-Mojokerto toll road and then continue to Mojokerto-Kertosono, Ngawi, and Wilangan.

From Wilangan, the journey will continue to Solo, Semarang, Kanci Toll Road, and finally to Jakarta.

Reporting by Indra Arief Pribadi
Editing by Yashinta Difa Pramudyani, Rahmad Nasution

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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