National and toll road stability reaches 93.88%
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Investor Daily - Kemantapan jalan nasional dan tol capai 93,88%
26 November 2024
By Heru Febrianto and Ichsan Amin
Jakarta, ID – The Public Works (PU) Ministry is ensuring the readiness of road infrastructure for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays. The stability of the roads, including both national and toll roads, currently stands at 93.88%.
PU Deputy Minister Diana Kusumastuti stated that the road stability assessment takes into account operational toll roads spanning 3,020 kilometres (km) and national roads covering 47,603 km. Enhancing road stability is intended to ensure smooth and comfortable traffic flow during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
"We ensure that all national roads are in excellent condition, with no potholes, complete facilities, and overall great road quality," Diana said to the media in Jakarta on Monday (25/11/2024).
Meanwhile, to ensure smooth and comfortable traffic during the Christmas and New Year holidays, the PU Ministry will temporarily halt toll road and national road maintenance activities from ten days before to ten days after the holidays, specifically from 15 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.
“We are requesting that no repair work be carried out on toll roads and non-toll roads from 15 December 2024 to 5 January 2025,” she added.
To enhance traffic flow, the PU Ministry will also open toll segments on a functional basis, spanning a total of 120.4 km, with 90.42 km on Sumatra and 29.98 km on Java. The toll segments operating on a functional basis during the Christmas and New Year holidays on Sumatra will include the Sigli-Banda Aceh Toll Road Section 1 (Padang Tiji-Seulimeum), the Binjai-Langsa Toll Road Section 3 (Tanjung Pura-Pangkalan Brandan) and the Pekanbaru-Padang Toll Road (Padang-Sicincin Section).
On Java, the toll segments will include the Jakarta-Cikampek II South Toll Road (Kutanegara-Sadang Section), the Solo-Yogyakarta Toll Road (Kartosuro-Purwomartani Section of the Klaten-Prambanan Segment spanning 8.6 km), the Probolinggo-Banyuwangi Toll Road Phase 1 (Probolinggo-Besuki), and the Kuala Tanjung-Tebing Tinggi Parapat Toll Road (Kuala Tanjung-IC Indrapura Section).
“Additionally, there are rest areas available, with a total of 124 rest areas along all toll segments in Indonesia. We are also preparing 393 posts at predetermined locations and deploying disaster response teams to anticipate emergencies in areas prone to disasters, such as flooding, large puddles, and landslides,” she stated.
She added that the PU Ministry has identified 550 locations prone to landslides and 298 locations prone to flooding. To address these issues, they have prepared 440 pieces of heavy equipment and established 137 material points.
“The PU Ministry will maintain ongoing coordination with the Transportation Ministry, the Traffic Corps (Korlantas), the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), toll road business entities, and other relevant ministries or institutions to facilitate traffic flow,” Diana continued.
Utilise all modes of transportation
Meanwhile, Djoko Setijowarno, a transportation observer from Unika Soegijapranata in Semarang, suggested that the momentum of the Christmas and New Year holidays could be optimised by utilising all available modes of transportation. People are encouraged not to rely solely on one mode of transport.
“For example, if there is an indication that most people will use private vehicles, early dissemination of information is needed to encourage them to switch to other modes of transportation,” he told Investor Daily.
According to Djoko, congestion typically occurs in land transportation, particularly at ferry ports that connect Merak-Bakauheni and Ketapang-Gilimanuk. "Vehicles tend to pile up waiting to use ferry transportation, so a buffer zone is needed for vehicles to wait before boarding the ferries," he explained.
Regarding toll roads, attention must be given to the entry and exit points. "At these access points, I believe officers should be on standby, including the police and staff from the local transportation agency," Djoko stated.
He added that regulations on illegal transportation must also be enforced by the authorities, particularly concerning four-wheel vehicles with black number plates. Djoko noted that illegal transportation is difficult to eliminate, so coordination among all parties is essential.
“Involve all parties, including legal apparatuses and the Land Transportation Directorate General of the Transportation Ministry,” he added.
Strengthen interconnection
On a separate occasion, PU Minister Dody Hanggodo and Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi are coordinating efforts to discuss the interconnection between PU infrastructure and transportation.
PU Minister Dody Hanggodo stated that his ministry will work in synergy with the Transportation Ministry to discuss existing ports and airports.
"We primarily discussed the access to existing ports and airports that are built and managed by the Transportation Ministry," PU Minister Dody said after his meeting with Transportation Minister Dudy at the Transportation Ministry Office on Monday (25/11).
Several matters were noted during the meeting, including the success of transportation during the Christmas and New Year holidays. According to Minister Dody, in preparation for the holiday period, road accesses that tend to experience congestion, particularly on the Cikampek Toll Road, will be managed through traffic engineering and the acceleration of minor repairs by PT Jasa Marga (Persero), the toll road operator.
“During the Christmas and New Year holidays, congestion tends to occur on the Cikampek Toll Road. Jasa Marga is currently expanding this toll road. Additionally, congestion is often seen at Merak [Port], which we are also anticipating,” he explained.
During the occasion, Dody mentioned that the PU Ministry is still deliberating the plan to offer discounts on toll road tariffs. This will be coordinated with local toll road business entities. "For now, not yet. We will discuss it further," he stated.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi added that additional infrastructure will be prepared to improve access to the Merak-Bakauheni ferry route, especially in the supporting areas to accommodate vehicles around Merak Port.
“So, we are preparing the infrastructure. For example, during Eid, we plan to set up a buffer zone at KM 97,” Minister Dudy added.
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