Mesuji, Lampung (ANTARA) - State-run toll operator PT Hutama Karya’s President Director, Bintang Perbowo, believes the Terpeka (Terbanggi Besar-Pematang Panggang-Kayu Agung) toll road, once operational, will enable smooth distribution of goods and flow of passengers in Sumatra Island.

"After its inauguration, the Terbanggi Besar-Pematang Panggang-Kayu Agung section toll road can be fully operated and open for the public," Perbowo stated here on Friday.

Perbowo noted that the toll road will drive economic growth in the region, particularly as palm oil and rubber industries are located along it.

Related news: President Jokowi inaugurates 189-km Trans-Sumatra Toll Road

"The public, especially in Lampung and Palembang, is waiting for the inauguration of the Terbanggi Besar-Pematang Panggang-Kayu Agung Besar section of the Trans Sumatra toll road, so they can have a shorter travel time from Palembang to Lampung and to Bakauheni Port. This is the longest toll road in Indonesia," Perbowo added.

The 189-kilometer toll road, stretching from Lampung to South Sumatra, will add to the earlier Bakauheni-Terbanggi Besar section of the Trans Sumatra.

The Terpeka toll road has 17 bridges, six interchanges, and 23 underpasses that will ease accessibility from and to Palembang in South Sumatra.

The toll road has a capacity to accommodate 6,400 vehicles per day. The operator provides five rest areas in the lane toward Kayu Agung and four rest areas in the lane toward Bakauheni.

Hutama Karya, as the toll operator, has also provided 13 patrol cars, 23 tow trucks, four rescue cars, 10 highway patrol units, and eight ambulances.

Related news: Pertamina to augment fuel supply along Trans Sumatra toll road

Translator: Triono Subagyo, Sri Haryati
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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