President Jokowi Visits Balikpapan – Samarinda Toll Road Construction Site

President Jokowi gives a press statement during the visit to the construction site of Balikpapan – Samarinda Toll Toad in Balikpapan on Thursday (24/3)

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo on Thursday (24/3) visited East Kalimantan Province for a working visit.

In the province, President Jokowi, who was accompanied by First Lady Ibu Iriana Widodo, visited the construction site of the ongoing Balikpapan – Samarinda toll road project.

The investment value of the toll road, which spans 99.02 kilometers (4 lanes, 2 directions) amounts to Rp 13.112 trillion.

The toll road is divided into five sections, namely:

• Section I, which begins from kilometer 13 Balikpapan to Samboja (25.07 kilometers)
• Section II Samboja-Palaran I (23.26 kilometers)
• Section III Samboja-Palaran II (21.9 kilometers)
• Section IV Palaran-Jembatan Mahkota II (17.70 kilometers)
• Section V, which begins from kilometer 13 to Sepinggan in Balikpapan (11.09 kilometers).

In his remarks, President Jokowi said that he visited the site to ensure that the project can be continued after it was stalled for five years.

“It began again in November. Construction has reached 7.6 km,” President Jokowi said, adding that “the total investment value is expected to reach around Rp. 13 trillion.”

According to the President, in all projects, be it industrial zones, railways, or toll roads, the biggest problem is the land acquisition. Therefore, he said that the Government has made breakthroughs so land acquisition will not impede the project.

The President was also pleased that the land acquisition for the project is already 85%.

“So there is 15 percent of land that has not been acquired. But we work simultaneously – the construction process and the land acquisition process are done simultaneously,” President Jokowi said.

President Jokowi also hopes that the whole section of the toll road can be completed in 2018.

“The construction process can usually be done very fast. Once the land acquisition is finished, the construction can be done really fast,” he said.

Accompanying President Jokowi during the visit were Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimoeljono, Minister of Social Affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa, and Governor of East Kalimantan Awang Faroek. (DNA/ES) (Naster/YM/EP)