This road section, located in Ngandul Village, is part of the regional road management based on presidential instruction.
"I want to see the completion of all the roads we are working on with the Presidential Instruction on Regional Roads throughout Indonesia, with a budget of Rp14.6 trillion (around US$932.4 million) in 2023," he stated in a statement from the Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau.
Jokowi explained that Rp1.3 trillion of the total budget was used to repair around 40 roads in Central Java. In Sragen, the budget for road repair amounted to Rp204 billion for three roads.
He noted that the Surakarta-Purwodadi road section has the most serious level of damage due to the dynamic nature of the soil, which often causes damage.
"Hence, we are building this at a much greater cost. The Solo (Surakarta)-Purwodadi Road uses rigid concrete, so the costs are large, and we hope it will last longer than asphalt," he stated.
Jokowi remarked that the government has budgeted Rp15 trillion in the Presidential Instruction for road repair in 2024. However, the realization of this policy is still in the planning process.
"In 2024, we will prepare another regional road repair in the Presidential Instruction with a budget of Rp15 trillion. However, it is still in the planning process," he noted.
Local resident Eko admitted that he felt the benefits of the road construction.
"The road used to be in very bad shape. There were so many holes. After the repair, it is already good," he said.
He also lauded the construction of the road and expressed hope that all roads in Indonesia would be built in the same way.
"Thank you, the government, for building the Solo-Purwodadi Road. We can access the road smoothly and save time," he said.
Accompanying Jokowi during his visit were Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Central Java Acting Governor Nana Sudjana, and Head of Sragen District Kusdinar Untung Yuni Sukowati.
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Translator: Yashinta Difa P, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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