Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said ensuring access across Sumatra remains the government’s main focus, calling roads and bridges vital for community mobility and the distribution of goods.
“The ministry is working to restore access as quickly as possible. Roads and bridges are the lifelines of movement and logistics,” Dody said in a statement released in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Efforts are focused on post-disaster recovery to keep travel safe and smooth, including in areas affected by flooding and landslides ahead of the 2025 Christmas and 2026 New Year holidays.
To boost holiday preparedness, the ministry has deployed 85 personnel at monitoring posts, readied 96 units of heavy equipment and prepared 1,957 units of emergency materials, including aggregates and geobags.
On the toll road network, the ministry said all toll sections in North Sumatra are operating normally following earlier disruptions caused by severe weather.
The Medan–Kualanamu–Tebing Tinggi toll road, which had implemented contraflow traffic management since Dec. 4, 2025, is expected to return fully to normal operations.
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Other major toll roads, including Medan–Binjai, Medan–Pangkalan Brandan, Medan–Sinaksak and Tebing Tinggi–Kisaran, remain fully operational to support holiday travel, the ministry said.
Post-disaster assessments identified 194 landslide points, 27 road sections cut off, 57 subsidence sites, four damaged bridge approaches and 28 flood inundation points across North Sumatra.
As of Dec. 15, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. local time, repairs had covered 190 landslide sites, 12 cut road sections, 55 subsidence points, all four bridge approaches and all flooded areas, the ministry said.
Ongoing work includes clearing debris, installing Bailey bridges, repairing subsided roads with aggregate and asphalt, placing gabions and building retaining walls.
Recovery efforts began on Nov. 28, 2025, one day after the disaster, and will continue until repairs are completed, officials said.
Three main corridors remain under intensive repair: Tarutung–Sibolga, Sibolga–Batang Toru and Batang Toru–Singkuang, where road surfaces collapsed at several points.
The 68-kilometer Tarutung–Sipirok corridor has reopened, although temporary detours remain at four locations to ensure road user safety.
Alternative routes to Sibolga include the national Sidikalang–Subulussalam–Barus–Sibolga road, and provincial and district roads with restrictions for small vehicles.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
