JAKARTA - The Anai Valley Road, West Sumatra, which was reopened for 24 hours after the disaster, encouraged community mobility which triggered long traffic jams due to the implementation of a one-way system.
ANTARA's monitoring on the ground, Monday, March 23, the traffic flow began to stagnate immediately after the blocking point of the Padang-Bukittinggi route via Lembah Anai, precisely from the border of Padang Panjang City to the Koto Baru Market area, Tanah Datar Regency.
The traffic jam with vehicles flowing up to more than 7 kilometers was exacerbated by the Koto Baru Market which operates every Monday, as well as the entry of vehicles from a number of alternative routes which add to the density.
It was recorded that 1 kilometer of the journey was completed in almost 1 hour.
Even though dozens of West Sumatra Police traffic officers have been alerted at various points, the surge in vehicle volume during the Lebaran period has significantly increased travel time.
Meanwhile, the flow of vehicles from Bukittinggi to Padang was observed to be relatively smooth until entering the Anai Valley area. The density only occurred around Koto Baru Market, where officers carried out a blockade to disperse the density of vehicles from the Padang direction.
The Anai Valley route was previously completely cut off due to a disaster that damaged the road body and the main access connecting Bukittinggi-Padang via the Anai Valley. The government then imposed limited operations as the repair process was not yet complete.
In order to face the Lebaran flow, the West Sumatra National Road Implementation Office (BPJN) ensures that the Sicincin-Padang Panjang KM 64 section is open 24 hours for four-wheel vehicles from H-10 to H+10 Eid al-Fitr.
The opening of this line was originally planned on H-7, but was accelerated to H-10 thanks to the acceleration of work by PT Hutama Karya Infrastructure.
The West Sumatra Provincial Government implements a one-way system from Padang to Bukittinggi at 10.00-14.00 WIB, and Bukittinggi-Padang at 14.00-18.00 WIB, which applies from March 22 to 24, 2026.
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