Jokowi: The Balang-IKN Island Toll Road Will Be Completed In Mid-2025

President Jokowi (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said the development of the Balang Island Toll Road to the capital city of Nusantara (IKN), East Kalimantan will be completed in mid-2025.

Furthermore, Jokowi believes that the existence of the toll road will make IKN more crowded and can revive the ecosystem there.

"From Balikpapan to the Balang Island Bridge, from Balang Island to Nusantara, it is estimated that it will be completed in mid-2025. This (toll road) will add to the crowd," he said in his remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the Swiss Nusantara Hotel, quoted from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Friday, September 13.

Moreover, Jokowi continued, this toll road will also host Samarinda with IKN. Therefore, according to him, IKN will be very busy later.

The connected Katena Samarinda-Balikpapan, Balikpapan-IKN. So that the crowd will further revive our capital city. The picture is like that," he said.

Jokowi also asked the government to increase traffic or traffic flow at IKN Airport. According to him, traffic flow is important to sign that IKN is a crowded city.

"If later this airport can be a lot of traffic, many airlines, airlines, who go up and down at the Nusantara Airport, this will become a crowd at IKN. Indeed, what we are looking for is that the crowd must be crowded, so that the city ecosystem is built," he said.

The former governor of DKI Jakarta said that IKN itself is currently in a hospital, school and shopping center, Nusantra Duty Free Mall. According to him, if all of this is completed and supported by adequate road infrastructure, it will cause crowds in the area.

As is known, President Jokowi has just inaugurated the Swiss Nusantara Hotel at IKN. On this occasion, Jokowi also inaugurated the groundbreaking or laying of the first stone for the construction of Mall Nusantara Duty Free.

"I think there will be a crowd and we want to immediately encourage as many AS possible our ASN to move to IKN. As much as possible because it is the crowd needed by IKN," he said.