"Alhamdulillah (thank God), the Cigombong-Cibadak section will speed up travel from Jakarta to Sukabumi, usually taking 5 hours, to 2.5 or two hours," he stated after inaugurating the toll road section in Sukabumi, West Java.
Jokowi noted that earlier, in some cases, the travel time could reach 6 to 9 hours due to traffic congestion caused by markets, among other factors.
"I experienced it myself once, (a trip that took) almost 6 hours," he recalled.
Jokowi noted that with the presence of the toll road section, traffic congestion could be avoided.
He further highlighted that the toll road section would speed up the mobility of people and goods, cutting short the travel time to several tourist destinations in Sukabumi, such as Pelabuhan Ratu, Ciletuh Geopark, and Ujung Genteng.
"This (the inauguration) is a gift for West Java Province, especially Sukabumi, on the occasion of Indonesia's 78th independence anniversary," Jokowi remarked.
On that occasion, he also instructed that Section III and Section IV of the Bocimi Toll Road be completed at the earliest.
The Bocimi Toll Road has four sections, with a total length of 54 km. Section I Ciawi-Cigombong has a length of 15.35 km and has been operating since December 2018.
The 11.90-km-long Section II Cigombong-Cibadak was previously operated during the Eid al-Fitr homecoming exodus period from April 15, 2023, to May 1, 2023.
Meanwhile, Section III Cibadak-Sukabumi, with a length of 13.70 km, and Section IV West Sukabumi-East Sukabumi, with a length of 13.05 km, are still in the land acquisition process.
The presence of the toll road section is expected to facilitate connectivity to support the people's economy, including the industrial, goods, and service sectors, as it will be connected to the southern part of West Java, such as Bogor and Ciawi.
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Translator: Desca Lidya, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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