As part of the 40-km-long Manado-Bitung toll road, the Manado-Danowudu toll road section will enhance connectivity and open road access to the strategic tourism zone of Manado-Bitung-Likupang and to Lembeh Island, President Jokowi noted.
Its presence would also draw more investors to North Sulawesi, he remarked while inaugurating the Manado-Danowudu toll road section through videoconference from the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday.
The Manado-Bitung toll road, targeted for completion in June 2021, is also expected to help new business activities thrive, so that more job opportunities will be available, he explained.
North Sulawesi's economy has huge potency to develop. It has a fishery industry in Bitung. Also notable are other sectors, such as agriculture, plantation, and tourism, President Jokowi pointed out.
Since the first and second leadership terms of President Jokowi, infrastructure has held special significance, with notable extension of toll roads being testament to it.
According to the Public Works and Housing Ministry, during President Jokowi's first leadership term, at least 941 kilometers of toll roads and 3,423 kilometers of national roads were constructed.
Work on the Trans-Java Highway connecting the ferry port in Merak, Banten Province, to Surabaya, the capital city of East Java Province, is complete, thereby reducing the travel time and current logistics costs.
As part of the central government's prioritized development projects, the toll roads are not merely constructed in Java, but they are also built outside the island, such as in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.
In Sumatra Island, several sections of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road have been completed, while the government is eyeing to complete entire sections in 2024.
On Sept 25, President Jokowi had inaugurated the 131-kilometer Pekanbaru-Dumai toll road, the first highway in Riau Province.
Work on the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road Construction project is still underway. State-owned construction companies involved in the project have striven ceaselessly to ensure it is completed in line with the set target.
Related news: Manado-Bitung toll road will reduce logistics costs: President Jokowi
Related news: President Jokowi inaugurates Manado-Danowudu toll road section
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Hanni S, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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