Gov’t to Continue Repairing Road Segments, President Jokowi Says

President Jokowi inspects reconstruction process of Surakarta-Gemolong-Purwodadi main road in Sragen regency, Central Java, Sunday (07/23). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Sunday (07/23) affirmed the Government’s commitment to speed up road repairs throughout the country.

“I found similar situations in many provinces, so we need to fix, to speed up road repairs particularly provincial roads, regency and city roads throughout the country. For the first phase, the Government has allocated a budget of Rp7 trillion, and another Rp7 trillion for the second phase, for this year only,” the President said in a press statement after inspecting the reconstruction process of Surakarta-Gemolong- Purwodadi main road in Sragen regency, Central Java province.

According to the President, road stability of provincial roads in Central Java province has reached 88 percent. In fact, the Government uses stronger road materials for Surakarta-Gemolong-Purwodadi main road since the road is often damaged due to unstable soil conditions.

“I used to pass this road every day; and ever since I was young, the road is often damaged. The current construction indeed doubles the costs, but I think the road will remain in good condition for more than 10 years. If we use asphalt, the road can probably be damaged again in two years,” he said.

Moreover, the Head of State said that the thickness of the cast road is 10 centimeters for the base plus another 25 centimeters for the top. The Head of State expressed hope that with this stronger construction, the Surakarta-Gemolong-Purwodadi main road will be in good condition for the long term.

“Construction on unstable soil condition requires this kind of construction works. It will be much cheaper if we consider the long-term use. Although the cost to build it is huge, it will be much cheaper for long-term use,” he stated.

On that occasion, he also confirmed that the Government will continue to repair road segments in Indonesia. He added that rehabilitation works of all damaged roads should begin no later than the end of July. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/AIT) (RAS/MMB)