"We have set a target of commencing the construction of the Berau-Bulungan toll road section next year," North Kalimantan Governor Zainal Arifin Paliwang stated.
This year, owing to financial conditions, the toll road construction project had not been feasible, Paliwang noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted in Tanjung Selor on Saturday.
In connection with this toll road project, Paliwang spoke of having met with East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor in Tanjung Redep, Berau, East Kalimantan Province, on Friday.
He had also discussed the matter with Speaker of the East Kalimantan legislative body Makmur HAPK, who had paid a courtesy call on him in Tanjung Selor, Bulungan, on Thursday.
Paliwang spoke of having reached an agreement with his counterpart, Isran Noor, to work together to construct the Berau-Bulungan toll road section.
The North Kalimantan provincial government is tasked with building part of the toll road section located inside its administrative area.
At the same time, the East Kalimantan provincial government will do its part, he noted, adding that the distance from Bulungan to Berau's land border is about 70 kilometers.
Meanwhile, the distance from Berau to the land border of Bulungan in North Kalimantan, is around 50 to 60 kilometers, he stated.
The toll road construction work is expected to commence as planned to bolster regional development and to enable better connectivity between the two provinces' residents, he remarked.
Since the first and second leadership terms of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), infrastructure has held special significance, with the remarkable extension of toll roads being testament to it.
According to the Public Works and Housing Ministry, during the first leadership term of President Jokowi, at least 941 kilometers of toll roads and 3,423 kilometers of national roads were constructed.
Work on the Trans-Java Highway that connects 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 Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.
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Translator: Susylo A, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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