Completion of this Kayu Agung-Palembang toll road section has become a quantum leap since the current travel time from Lampung's Bakauheni ferry port to Palembang in South Sumatra can reduce, from 12 hours to just three to 3.5 hours, he remarked here on Tuesday.
The remarkable reduction in travel time will significantly decrease the current logistics costs, President Jokowi noted at the inauguration ceremony of this Kayu Agung-Palembang toll road section in Ogan Ilir District, South Sumatra Province.
This 42.5-kilometer (km)-long toll road section was the most important axis of the Trans-Sumatra toll road construction project since it was the last segment of the 373-km toll road connecting the Bakauheni ferry toll to Palembang City, he stated.
President Jokowi remarked that the Bakauheni-Palembang toll road was projected to drive the emergence of new economic hubs in Sumatra Island. He further urged governors, district heads, and city mayors to connect the toll road to economic centers in their administrative areas.
The head of state accentuated the importance of optimizing the economic benefits that can be gained from the Bakauheni-Palembang toll road for industrial estates as well as tourism, agricultural, and plantation hubs.
Owing to its proximity to Java Island, the Bakauheni-Palembang toll road will additionally offer economic opportunities for communities owing to the competitive prices and availability of huge number of laborers, he 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 km of toll roads and 3,423 km of national roads were constructed.
The 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, including 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.
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 that it is completed in line with the set target.
On September 25, 2020, President Jokowi had inaugurated the 131-kilometer Pekanbaru-Dumai toll road, the first highway in Riau.
As part of Indonesia's national strategic projects and one of the toll road sections of the Trans-Sumatra corridor, the Pekanbaru-Dumai highway is expected to boost the province's economy.
On August 25, 2020, President Jokowi had also inaugurated the 13.5-km Indrapuri-Blang Bintang toll road, the first toll road section in Aceh Province, which is part of the Banda Aceh-Sigli toll road.
Five other sections of the Banda Aceh-Sigli toll road are Padang Tiji-Seulimum, spanning 24.3 km; Seulimum-Jantho, measuring 7.6 km; Jantho-Indrapuri, reaching 16 km; Blang Bintang-Kuta Baro, totaling 7.7 km; and Kuta Baro-Baitussalam, spanning 5 km.
Related news: President Jokowi visits South Sumatra to inaugurate toll road project
Related news: President welcomes inauguration of sharia economic brand
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Indra AP, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
