First Toll Road In North Sulawesi Inaugurated, President Jokowi: Manado To Bitung Only 30 Minutes

JAKARTA - The construction and investment SOE, PT PP (Persero) Tbk (PTPP), has successfully completed the construction of the Manado-Bitung Toll Road project for the Manado-Danowudu section of 26 kilometers. The President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the operation of the Manado-Bitung Toll Road, North Sulawesi on Tuesday, September 29.

The inauguration of the operation was carried out virtually from the State Palace in Bogor, West Java, accompanied by State Secretariat Minister Pratikno and BUMN Minister Erick Thohir . Meanwhile, the inauguration ceremony for the Manado-Bitung Toll Road for the Manado-Danowudu Toll Road was centered at the Manado Toll Gate represented by the Minister of PUPR Basuki Hadimuljono who was also present directly at the project inauguration location on behalf of the government.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended directly by Novel Arsyad as President Director, M. Toha Fauzi as Director of Operations 2, Bandung Sasmitoharjo as SVP of Infrastructure Division 1, Fatchul Birri as SVP OBC & SCM, and Yuyus Juarsa as SVP Corporate Secretary of PTPP.

In addition, the event was also attended by the President Director of PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk, Subakti Syukur, the President Director of PT Jasamarga Manado Bitung George Manurung, the Head of North Sulawesi Police, Inspector General. Pol. Drs. RZ. Panca Putra Simanjuntak, Pangdam Merdeka Maj. Gen. TNI Santos Matondang, and Acting Governor of North Sulawesi Agus Fatoni.

The Manado-Bitung Toll Road is the first toll road owned by North Sulawesi Province which is located in North Minahasa Regency, Manado City. This toll road construction project has a contract value of IDR 3.16 trillion for section II works. The Manado-Bitung Toll Road Section II project has a track of 26 kilometers with an implementation period of 969 calendar days.

This toll road is owned by PT Jasamarga Manado Bitung where the composition of ownership consists of PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk at 65 percent, PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk at 20 percent, and PTPP at 15 percent.

In the future, the Manado-Bitung Toll Road will have a total line of 40 kilometers, which is the longest toll road currently in North Sulawesi Province. PTPP has successfully completed the Manado-Bitung Toll Road for the Manado-Danowudu section with a length of 26 kilometers, where the closest toll gate to Sam Ratulangi Airport is only 9 kilometers away so it can cut the travel time of the previous trip via the national road.

In addition, the journey from Manado to Bitung or vice versa, which previously took 1.5 hours to travel to just half an hour.

"Now it can be used to support business activities and facilitate public transportation. Later when all of these sections are completed, the length will reach 40 km. The toll gate (GT Manado) is only 9 km or about 12 minutes from Sam Ratulangi Airport. So, very close, "said President Jokowi at the inauguration.

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North Sulawesi Province has economic potential that can continue to be developed, including: fisheries, agriculture, plantations, tourism, and so on. To develop all the potential that North Sulawesi has, of course, it must be supported by adequate infrastructure, one of which is the construction of toll roads.

With the construction of this toll road, it is hoped that the surrounding areas can be more integrated and easier to reach. In addition, it is hoped that it can develop KEK Bitung and open up many new jobs for the surrounding community.

President Director of PTPP, Novel Arsyad, said that with the inauguration of the operation of the Manado-Bitung Toll Road, it could significantly cut travel time between Manado and Bitung. If previously the travel time between the two cities via the national road was around 1.5 hours, then using this toll road could only be reached in about 30 minutes.

"It is hoped that this toll road will reduce logistics costs and support the development of industrial estates and tourist destinations in North Sulawesi. In addition, the existence of this toll road is also expected to improve connectivity in the surrounding areas," said Novel Arsyad.

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