Alhamdulillah (Thank God), the Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road is complete, and I have asked the owner (toll road operator) to make it free until New YearBekasi, W Java (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said he would ask the authority of the Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road to make the surface smoother before it becomes operational ahead of the Christmas and New Year's Eve holiday season. Speaking to journalists after observing the latest construction process of an LRT project from the Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road, President Jokowi jokingly said the smoother road surface of this highway could trigger drivers to fall asleep while driving.
He, however, pledged to ask the related parties to recheck the road surface of all sections along this highway before it becomes fully operational in the near future.
President Jokowi inaugurated this elevated toll road Thursday, saying that it would be free to use through the Christmas and New Year holiday season.
Related news: President Jokowi inaugurates Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road
"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), the Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road is complete, and I have asked the owner (toll road operator) to make it free until New Year," he said when inaugurating this new toll road at KM 38, which is part of the Bekasi District area.
This 39-kilometer long toll road is expected to reduce traffic congestion significantly, President Jokowi said, adding that congestion, observed daily over the past four years, could be reduced up to 30 percent.
During the construction process of this elevated toll road, traffic jams often occurred along the existing Jakarta-Cikampek toll road because cars and trucks heading to and from Jakarta and Banten Provinces to cities in West Java were allowed to pass.
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He predicted that some 200,000 vehicles passed by the existing regular Jakarta-Cikampek toll road while construction workers attempted to finish the elevated one.
At the same time, near the elevated toll road construction sites, there were also light rail transit (LRT) and speed train construction projects.
Due to these difficult conditions, he did appreciate the work of those involved in the project because it would hopefully reduce the congestion road users faced for years, President Jokowi said.
He has made the toll road construction projects a part of his administration's top development agenda both in his first and second leadership terms. (INE)
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Translator: Hanni Sofia, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
