President Jokowi Visits Trans Sumatra Toll Road Construction Site

President Jokowi after visiting Trans Sumatera Toll Road construction site in Pekanbaru, Sunday (23/7). (Photo by: Public Relations Division/Oji)

The development of Trans Sumatra Toll Road connecting Pekanbaru-Dumai whose construction began six months ago has entered the land clearing and land acquisition process.

“The land acquisition process is 47% finished,” said President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo after visiting the construction site of the Toll Road in Pekanbaru on Sunday (23/7).

According to the President, Ministry of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (BPN), Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Ministry of State-owned Enterprises, state-owned construction company PT Hutama Karya, assisted by Riau Governor, will continue to try accelerating this process.

“We expect it will be finished by the end of 2019, in Shaa Allah,” the President optimistically said regarding when the construction of 131-kilometer Toll Road will be completed.

For the record, the Pekanbaru–Dumai Toll Road is divided into 6 sections, among others, Section I Pekanbaru-Minas (9.5 km), Section II Minas-Petapahan/Kandis Selatan (24 km), Section III Petapahan-Kandis Utara (17 km), Section IV Kandis-Duri Selatan (26 km), Section V Duri Selatan-Duri Utara (28 km), and Section VI Duri Utara-Dumai (25 km).

In the meantime, as for the plan of the construction of Pekanbaru-Padang Toll Road, the President said that it will begin at the end of this year and it is planned that the Government will relocate the location to make it closer. “Land acquisition will be easier because the lands belong to state-owned enterprises. It’s closer. We’ll build a tunnel,” the President said, adding that the development of Trans Sumatra toll roads will be done next year sequentially.

During the visit, President Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of State-owned Enterprises Rini Soemarmo, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Governor of Riau Arsyadjuliandi Rachman, and Chief of Riau Regional Police Zulkarnaen Adinegara. (RMI/OJI/ES) (EP/YM/Naster)