President Jokowi Inaugurates Balige Bypass

President Jokowi inaugurates Balige Bypass in Toba regency, North Sumatra province, Wednesday (02/02). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/Laily Rachev)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Wednesday (02/02), inaugurated Balige Bypass in Toba regency, North Sumatra province by signing on a plaque.

According to Director General of Highways of Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing Hedy Rahadian, Balige Bypass has been constructed gradually since five years ago with a budget of Rp176 billion to prevent traffic jams in Balige city and its surrounding areas.

“So, this is a road to prevent traffic jams in Balige, so it goes around, so traffic that goes through will not enter Balige. It can go through this bypass,” he said while expressing hope that the 9.8-kilometer-long road can benefit the people by reducing traffic congestion and improving accessibility for areas around Balige city.

“This will improve, enhance accessibility for areas around Balige, so it will also give room for Balige city to develop,” Hedy said.

Local people have felt the benefit of the bypass, including Rohana Simanjuntak who stated that the road shorten her travel time in doing daily activities.

“Back then, I had to go through the city, so it was time consuming and due to [traffic] density, there tended to be traffic jams. This bypass is very helpful. It saves approximately 15 minutes of my time,” she said.

Rohana also expressed appreciation to President Jokowi for the bypass and expressed hope that the bypass is maintained well so that it can benefit the people for a long period.

“Thank you to President Jokowi for drawing up a program [to build] this bypass. Personally, it is very helpful to me and to the people around the area. It brings many benefits,” she said.

“I hope this road is well maintained, not immediately damaged, so the benefits can be sustainable. I hope for continuous maintenance, so the benefits can be optimal,” she remarked.

Also attending the inauguration were Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Governor of North Sumatra Edy Rahmayadi, and Regent of Toba Poltak Sitorus. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/UN) (DH/MMB)