Infrastructure Problems Are Not Just Toll Road Accidents

Of course, toll road problems are not just the Cipali toll road accident. There are a myriad of problems regarding road infrastructure development, one of which is: toll roads are stalled. The final article is VOI's signature series, "Be careful in Cipali", about a number of toll roads whose construction has stalled.

Infrastructure development is one of the main programs of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi). No exception to the construction of toll roads.

In 2020, as many as 103 toll road projects valued at Rp. 602.7 trillion were successfully completed from 2016 to December 4, 2020. The toll roads that were successfully built reached 1,309 km.

According to the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, this figure exceeds the construction of toll roads during the presidency of the previous five presidents, namely Soeharto, BJ Habibie, Gus Dur, Megawati to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. However, that does not mean there are no shortcomings.

There are reports related to the stagnation of toll road construction. Either because it is hampered by the difficulty of land acquisition or the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (Wamen BUMN), Kartika Wirjoatmodjo, said that the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road would be delayed by one to two years from the target. One reason for the delay in development is COVID-19.

"Due to the condition of COVID-19 which is indeed a heavy financial pressure on its development, namely HK (Hutama Karya)," said Tiko, quoted by Detik.

One of the toll road projects whose completion was not on target was the KM 149 Interchange of the Gedebage Tol, Bandung City. It is known that there are still developments that have not been completed and have not yet been operated.

KM 149 Interchange is known to have a target of completion a few years ago. However, the construction was delayed because construction had stopped.

One of the causes is the refusal of residents. KM 149 interchange is known to connect Bandung Intra Urban Tol Road (BIUTR) Bandung City.

In addition, there is the construction of the Cileunyi-Sumedang-Dawuan (Cisumdawu) toll road. The groundbreaking of the toll road construction was carried out on November 29, 2011.

However, the construction of the Cisumdawu Toll Road stalled due to land acquisition obstacles. It is estimated that the Cisumdawu Toll Road will be completed in December 2021.

The Cisumdawu toll road is intended to be the pulse of the West Java International Airport (BIJB) Kertajati, Majalengka Regency. It is hoped that this toll road will also be operational in early 2022, connecting the Bandung area and its surroundings with the airport that is the pride of West Java residents.

Another toll road project that is known to be still hampered is the construction of the Semarang-Demak Toll Road, which has a length of 27 kilometers. Land acquisition is again a major obstacle. A lot of land owned by residents has changed its landscape from land to sea.

Quoting Radioidola, in 2020 the Assistant for Economy and Development of the Central Java Regional Secretariat, Peni Rahayu, said land acquisition was an obstacle to development. Land owned by communities affected by the Semarang-Demak toll road construction project, especially those that enter the city of Semarang, and the landscape has changed from land to sea, hampering the land acquisition process.

Some of the Semarang-Demak toll road projects have penetrated into mangrove forest areas or on the North Coast of Central Java. To minimize the negative impact on the environment from the construction of the Semarang-Demak Toll Road, the PUPR Ministry is working with the Local Government to prepare a mangrove land relocation program.

The mangrove forests affected by the project are located in the vicinity of the construction of Section 1 of the Semarang-Demak Toll Road Semarang-Sayung segment. There are 3 mangrove areas that will be relocated with a total area of approximately 46 hectares.

The existence of the Semarang - Demak Toll Road will improve connectivity in the northern part of the Central Java region as well as connect strategic areas such as ports, airports, industrial areas and tourism areas, especially Demak as a religious tourism area.

In addition, there is an inner city toll road, namely the Kelapa Gading-Pulo Gebang Toll Road, whose construction target has been delayed. Previously, the construction had a target of completion within 30 months from 2017 which should have been completed by the end of 2019. However, this target was not met due to obstacles, including additional land acquisition, relocation of High Voltage Airways (SUTT-150 kV), and others. .

Fortunately, currently the land acquisition for toll road construction has been completed 100 percent and construction progress has reached 85 percent. It is predicted that the construction will be completed in July 2021.

In addition, there is the Serpong-Balaraja (Serbaraja) toll road in Banten Province, which is still under construction. The toll road was initiated in 2016, but is still constrained by land acquisition problems.

Quoting Bisnis, Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Lasmi Indaryani, said he urged the acceleration of land acquisition. There are concerns that there will be sudden investors taking advantage of government projects. The sudden investor will later take advantage of the land acquisition, making it difficult for the government to acquire the land.

"Development has been delayed. The 2016 signature will only be implemented 3 years later, after a while it will become a stalled project. What year do you want to finish? " said Lasmi.

The Serpong-Balaraja Toll Road is reported to have 8 interchanges. In the future, this can be a new access from Serpong to Balaraja, namely SS CBD, SS Industri, SS Legok, SS Mekar Jaya, SS Pasir Barat, SS Jambe, SS Cileles, and SS Tigaraksa. It is planned to be completed by the end of 2021.