IKN Access Toll Road Progress Reaches 55 Percent, Jokowi: Operates June 2024

President Jokowi (Photo: dock. Antara)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the progress of toll roads to support access to the State Capital (IKN) of the Archipelago has reached 55 percent, to date.

"The progress is almost 55 percent. It is hoped that later in June 2024 it will be used," said Jokowi while reviewing the toll road project in the IKN area, East Kalimantan, as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Wednesday, November 1.

Jokowi said, with the construction of the toll road, later it could cut the travel time from Balikpapan to the IKN area from the previous around 2 hours 15 minutes to only 50 minutes.

"Now this toll road is built directly from Balikpapan to Nusantara. It only takes about 50 minutes, the distance is 57 kilometers (km), so it will accelerate the mobility of people and goods later to the archipelago," he said.

In addition to road infrastructure, said Jokowi, later the government will also prepare supporting facilities and facilities such as rest areas. The government has also prepared thousands of trees to be planted around the toll road.

"So, on the left and right, we really want us to make it as green as possible so that we start planting endemic trees in Kalimantan, which we hope will be on the right and left of this toll road, everything is green, green. And we have prepared 60,000 trees for this toll road only," he said.

The PUPR Ministry itself is completing the construction of the toll road from Balikpapan to the Nusantara IKN area, in order to shorten the travel time from Balikpapan to IKN Nusantara, which is currently around 2 hours.

This toll road is connected to the Balikpapan-Samarinda (Balsam) Toll Road so that later when connected, it is estimated that the travel time is only around 30-45 minutes.

Currently, the construction of the IKN Toll Road has been running for 3 sections, and is targeted for completion in mid-2024.