There were problems in the field, especially in land release.
Sumedang, West Java (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Cileunyi-Sumedang-Dawuan (Cisumdawu) toll road in Sumedang district, West Java, on Tuesday.

The inauguration ceremony was held at the mouth of 472-meter-long twin tunnels, built at Kilometer 169 of the toll road and located in Rancakalong village.

"We are here now, at the 472-meter-long twin tunnels. None of the toll roads in Indonesia pass a twin tunnel like this," Widodo remarked.

The tunnels, each of which measures 472 meters in length and 14 meters in diameter, connect Bandung city with the Cipali (Cikopo-Palimanan) toll road, a part of the Trans-Java toll road, via Cipularang.

The President expressed his gratitude over the completion of the project, which began in 2011.

"It means, it took 12 years. There were problems in the field, especially in land release," he noted.

The 61.6-km toll road was built at a cost of Rp18.3 trillion (US$1.2 billion). At least Rp9.07 trillion (US$598.8 million) of the funding was covered by the state budget and the remaining was funded under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

Related news: West Java's Cisumdawu toll road operational in June 2022: Governor

Widodo said that the Cisumdawu toll road will improve connectivity to Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka district, West Java.

He further said he is optimistic that Kertajati Airport will emerge as one of the major airports in Indonesia with the Cisumdawu toll road making it easier to access. In addition, many foreign investors are keen to invest in the airport's development.

"I can see that many countries are keen to invest, which means there is something about Kertajati. We hope that this will become a big airport in the future," Widodo added.

The Cisumdawu toll road is one of the government's national strategic projects in West Java. It will serve as the main access road to Kertajati Airport, which is also a strategic project.

In addition to Cisumdawu and Kertajati, other strategic projects in West Java are the Jakarta-Bandung fast train, the construction of seven dams, the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) campus in Cirebon, and Patimban Port.

Related news: Govt targeting to complete Cisumdawu toll road in 2021

Translator: Gilang Galiartha, Sri Haryati
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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