News

More Infrastructure for Indonesia

12 Juni 2019

In its first five-year period from 2014, Jokowi, a former furniture entrepreneur, developed 3,432 kilometers of highways, 947 kilometers of toll roads, 10 new airports and 19 ports in this largest Southeast Asian country. These highways can create new opportunities for rural communities, with land prices expected to rise, and encourage businesses to open roadside outlets, workshops or motels.

 

By: Linda Yulisman (The Straits Times)

 

The Trans-Java and Trans-Sumatra highway is expected to be completed in the second period of Jokowi, which will cut travel time and open new vacancies on Indonesia's two main islands. The authorities say, these roads are part of a stretch of Jokowi's future projects, and like the first period Jokowi will remain focused on infrastructure. This includes building new ports, airports, dams and power plants to maintain economic stability in the next five years.

 

The Trans-Java highway will stretch and connect the port of Merak - which is located on the westernmost point of the island of Java - to Prabolinggo and Banyuwangi in East Java, and is targeted to be completed next year. This was stated by the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono.

 

Usually, the trip from Merak to Banyuwangi takes 20 hours. This new highway will cut it to 15 hours.

About 964 kilometers of the Trans-Java highway were completed in April, helping to make the Indonesian homecoming trip smoother on Idul Fitri last week. With more than half the total population of Indonesia - totaling 260 million - living on Java, these highways can create new opportunities for rural communities, with land prices expected to rise, and encourage businesses to open roadside outlets, workshops or motels.

 

On the neighboring island of Sumatra, the first toll road connecting Aceh province in the north with Lampung in the south will stretch 2,000 kilometers. About 300 kilometers of the Trans-Sumatra highway have been completed. Once completed, the journey from the capital city of Aceh, Banda Aceh, to Bakauheni, a coastal city in Lampung, will take less than one day, cutting many hours of the usual trip.

 

"The President has given us a target that must be resolved (the Trans-Sumatra toll road) in 2024," Minister Basuki said to The Sunday Times.

In the first five-year period of 2014, Jokowi, a former furniture entrepreneur, developed 3,432 kilometers of highways, 947 kilometers of toll roads, 10 new airports and 19 ports in the largest Southeast Asian country, according to data from the Presidential Staff Office.

 

Funds of around 4,700 trillion rupiah have been devoted to these projects, which include the first MRT line in Jakarta, and the first LRT in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra. Chairman of the National Development Agency Bambang Brodjonegoro said in a recent interview with Bloomberg, there was a list of projects worth 5,957 trillion rupiah submitted for the period 2020-2024, to be approved by the President, which would be installed for the second period in October 2019.

 

Basuki said that other toll roads would also be built to support developing economic centers, such as from Balikpapan to Bontang in East Kalimantan.

 

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that the fast railroad linking Jakarta to Bandung is expected to be completed by 2021. "The Jakarta-Bandung fast train project is underway. Land acquisition is carried out little by little, "he said. This rail will cut travel time to 40 minutes, from around three hours at present.

 

Another fast train project, which will connect Jakarta with the capital of East Java, Surabaya, is expected to begin next year, said Minister Budi.

 

"The priority is to maximize projects that will drive the regional economy. The question is whether new economic centers or new industrial centers will emerge after the infrastructure is ready, "said Dr. Muhammad Faisal, executive director of the Indonesian Economic Reform Center. "For example, can the toll road in Surabaya support industrial and tourist complexes in cities that are passed by motorists?"

 

Source: https://www.matamatapolitik.com/in-depth-makin-banyak-jalan-bendungan-dan-pembangkit-tenaga-listrik-untuk-indonesia/

Other News