This toll road cuts travel time from Ciawi to Cigombong of Section 1 from 1.5 hours to 15 minutes, Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuldjono stated, during the inauguration of the Bocimi (Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi) Section I Toll Road at Cigombong I Tol, Bogor, on Saturday.
"I think there are a lot of them; even though this is only 15 kilometers from Ciawi to Cigombong, this is a place of traffic jams. If you do not pass the toll road, it is 1.5 hours from Ciawi to Cigombong," he noted.
He added that the Bocimi toll road, which is the southern Java toll road, would break the density on the North toll lane, namely the Cipali Toll Road.
"We have to make it, so that it would not be too late if we are not going to take Cipali. If we do not make the South according to our analysis, the toll road will soon be jammed. This is the South`s priority, "he explained.
Hadimuldjono noted that the Bocimi toll road will be connected to Cilacap, Solo, to Surabaya.
"Purwokerto-Ciilacap will also be built after North is connected to the South in December, including later in Semarang. For this reason, the Semarang-Demak-Kudus-Pati-Rembang tender has been done, and so is the road network," he elaborated.
The total work of the Trans-Java Toll Road from Merak to Surabaya is 870 kilometers, and currently, 630 kilometers have been completed. The remaining 180-kilometer road is still under construction and is targeted for completion later this year.
"There are still 180 kilometers to be completed. Pemalang-Batang, Batang-Semarang, Solo-Salatiga, and Kertosono-Wirangan will certainly have no problems," he added.
With regard to the inauguration of the toll road, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Rini Soemarno appreciated the performance of PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk, which successfully accelerated the construction of the Ciawi Sukabumi (Bocimi) Bogor Toll Road, so that the Bocimi Toll Section I, Ciawi - Cigombong section, with a length of 15.35 kilometers, can shorten the travel time.
Since the Ciawi - Sukabumi Toll Road project section 1 of Ciawi - Cigombong section was obtained by Waskita Karya in 2015, the construction of the toll road project, which has been initiated since 1997, can be realized as a development agent, Soemarno stressed on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Bocimi Toll Road at the Cigombong Toll Gate.
She also believed that Bocimi toll road will further increase the economic activity in the community, supported by the more efficient distribution and transportation costs.
"The presence of the Bocimi Toll Road should be able to further increase the development of the industrial sector along Bogor-Sukabumi. The Agribusiness and Tourism industry primarily have large potential," she pointed out.
In the meantime, Jokowi, during the inauguration, stated that this is indeed the 20-year period that has been changing investors, since the beginning of 2015 when we decided to take over.
"After we took over, we were working on this, and thank God, Ciawi-Cigombong has been finished," the president remarked at the Toll Gate Cigombong, Bogor, West Java, on Saturday.
The construction of the 54 kilometer Ciawi - Sukabumi toll road was divided into four sections, including Section I Ciawi-Cigombong of 15.3 kilometers, Section II Cigombong-Cibadak of 11.9 kilometers, Section III Cibadak-Sukabumi Barat of 13.7 kilometers, and Section IV Sukabumi Barat-Sukabumi Timur 13 kilometers.
"The determination of the Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi toll road auction was established since 1997. The investors have already been changed a number of times. This means it has been 21 years. In 2015, we decided to take it over with tough negotiations, "Jokowi revealed.
But only a year later, at the beginning of 2016, the construction of land acquisition could begin.
"I do not know why it took 21 years to start this. I find the natural landscape here to be beautiful," the president added.
The plan is that the toll road will also gradually connect Bogor to Cilacap, Central Java.
"We hope that this Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi toll road will continue to Cianjur, Bandung, and continue east to Cilacap. Therefore, once again I am very happy this afternoon to be able to inaugurate this Ciawi-Sukabumi toll road to Section 1, Ciawi-Cigombong, "he stated.
The operation of the Ciawi - Sukabumi Toll Road is carried out by the PT Trans Jabar Toll Road Business Entity (BUJT), whose majority share is owned by PT Waskita Toll Road.
The investment value of Rp7.7 trillion is fulfilled by 30 percent of the company`s equity and 70 percent of loans from banks.
EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
