Gov’t Ensures Infrastructure Readiness as This Year’s Exodus Nears

Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono delivers press statement after attending a limited meeting in Jakarta, on Wednesday (04/12). (Photo by: PR of Cabinet Secretariat / Shally)

Ahead of this year’s Eid annual exodus (mudik), the Government has announced it has readied supporting infrastructure to support the exodus and the return traffics.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday (12/04) at the Presidential Palace, Indonesian Minister of Public Works and Public Housing said: “Mudik boils down to three aspects: infrastructure, regulation, and execution, all of which will determine the success of the mudik and the return traffics. I am in change of the infrastructure,” he said.

Basuki also pointed out that his Ministry has revamped infrastructure by widening roads, adding the number of rest areas at toll roads, and operating new toll roads, all of which are aimed at making this year’s mudik experience better than that of last year.

“We are widening roads at Jakarta-Cikampek toll road and dividing them into four lanes. We hope we can prevent bottleneck,” he said, adding that the Ministry is also widening Cipali toll road near all the rest areas to three lanes to prevent congestion.

The Government, he added, has also prepared additional rest areas, portable car toilets, and Pertamina fuel mobile service, and will also start operating new toll roads such as South Japek II connecting Sadang to Taman Mekar, Solo-Yogyakarta toll road, and Indralaya-Prabumulih toll road.

“Following the President’s instruction, all functional toll roads should be utilized. Indralaya-Prabumulih [toll road] spanning 62 kilometers will be in operation for this year’s mudik. We have also prepared national roads to support the exodus and return traffics,” Basuki said.

The Minister added the Government will also give 20 percent discount of toll road tariff for a number of toll roads in the islands of Java and Sumatra two days before and after the Eid holiday.

State-owned construction company Hutama Karya will also give 20 percent discount for toll roads connecting Bakauheni-Terbanggi Besar-Kayu Agung and Binjai-Medan, he added. (DND/UN)(RAS/EP)