Anticipating the 2026 Homecoming Density, the Ministry of Transportation is Preparing a Delaying System Strategy in Merak-Bakauheni

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation is preparing a delaying system strategy on the Merak Port-Bakauheni Port crossing to anticipate vehicle congestion during the 2026 Lebaran homecoming rush.

This strategy is applied to regulate the arrival of vehicles to the port.

Director General of Land Transportation Aan Suhanan said that Merak Port is an important transportation node as well as a barometer of the success of the management of Lebaran transportation nationally. Therefore, the management of vehicle traffic in the area needs to be carried out carefully so as not to cause congestion on land routes.

"This curiosity is a crucial point and barometer of the success of the management of Lebaran transportation from year to year, so the management mistakes at this port will result in disrupting the flow of road traffic and will cause congestion. For this reason, we have determined several strategies, one of which is the delaying system," said Aan in an official statement, Thursday, March 12.

Aan explained that the delaying system strategy was applied to slow the arrival of vehicles to the port when the port capacity had reached its maximum limit.

The implementation of this system is carried out at a number of points on the toll road and arterial roads leading to the Merak Port.

"The strategy of delaying the system is to slow down the arrival at the port if the port is overloaded and we have determined in several places such as toll roads and arteries. So from the side of Merak on the toll road there are KM 13A, 43A, and 68A while the arterial road in Cikuasa Atas and JLS Ciwandan or the Munic parking area," said Aan.

To support this policy, the Ministry of Transportation has also prepared a number of buffer zones on the Merak and Bakauheni sides. This area will serve as a temporary parking area for vehicles before being allowed to enter the port if there is congestion.

"We have prepared several buffer zones, both on the side of Merak or Java, as well as on the side of Bakauheni or Sumatra, which have a lot of capacity. We also prepare a buffer zone to park vehicles that are prohibited from operating during the period of restrictions on the operation of freight during Lebaran 2026," he explained.

On the side of Merak, the buffer zone that has been prepared has a total capacity of 13,811 small vehicles, 2,212 trucks, and 5,000 motorcycles.

The location is spread across arterial roads such as the Munic Line and Cikuasa Atas Parking Area, toll rest areas KM 13A, KM 43A, and KM 68A, as well as a number of ports such as Merak Port, Indah Kiat Port, BBJ Bojonegara Port, and Ciwandan Port.

Meanwhile, on the side of Bakauheni, a buffer zone was prepared with a capacity of 7,318 small vehicles and 2,840 trucks spread across several points such as the Gayam Agro-Business Terminal, RM Gunung Jati, RM Tiga Saudara, the Old Agriculture Quarantine Office, a number of toll rest areas from KM 163B to KM 20B, and port areas such as Bakauheni Port, Wika Beton Port, and PT SMA Port.

In addition to delaying the system, the Ministry of Transportation also implemented a strategy for dividing the crossing ports based on vehicle categories which have been regulated in the Joint Decree (SKB).

The policy was implemented starting from March 11, 2026 before the homecoming period.

Furthermore, Aan said that the crossing arrangement began yesterday and at kilometer 87 there was a blockade to carry out the division of the port that would pass to Sumatra.

During the homecoming flow from March 13 to 29, at Merak Port, only passengers, bicycles, small vehicles, and bus transportation are allowed.

"Then in Ciwandan for motorcycles and logistics transportation of V and VIb groups, as well as the Bojonegoro BBJ Port, it is intended for trucks of groups VII to IX," said Aan.

He hopes that all stakeholders can help socialize the policy of sharing the port to the public so that the potential for vehicle accumulation at the port can be minimized.

"Meanwhile, Bakauheni itself at the time of the reverse flow is the same as in Merak, but will be implemented from March 23 to 29, 2026. Please KSOP, the police, and other stakeholders to help socialize this so that land traffic flows can be discussed and there is no congestion or congestion," said Aan.