1,235 Km Of Trans Sumatra Toll Road Built During A Decade Of Jokowi's Government

President Joko Widodo inaugurated the Lausimeme Dam located in Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - For a decade the administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), PT Hutama Karya (Persero) (Hutama Karya) participated in building national infrastructure, especially the development of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road (JTTS).

Hutama Karya managed to build thousands of kilometers of toll roads on Andalas Island.

In the last 10 years, Hutama Karya has in the completion stage of approximately 1,235 kilometers (km) or 50 percent of the 2,845 km JTTS.

The toll roads that are already operating include the Terbanggi Besar 'Pematang Panggang' Kayu Agung, Palembang' Indralaya, Pekanbaru 'Dumai to Indrapura' Kisaran, which has now been crossed by millions of vehicles.

Currently, Hutama Karya has also continued the development of JTTS Phase II which will connect Palembang to Jambi. This project aims to strengthen the freeway network which will further facilitate connectivity between provinces and drive the local economy.

It is known that the construction of JTTS has started since 2015 or when Hutama Karya received the mandate to develop toll roads in Sumatra.

The government also provides support through the State Capital Participation (PMN), which has since reached Rp131.1 trillion.

Executive Vice President (EVP) Corporate Secretary Hutama Karya Adjib Al Hakim said PMN was used to finance construction and land acquisition needed to accelerate the construction of JTTS.

He assessed that this toll road infrastructure also creates many jobs, both in the construction sector and in the operation of toll roads.

Thousands of local workers have also been empowered in these projects while at the same time encouraging regional economic growth.

In addition, JTTS also triggers the growth of other sectors, such as tourism and investment.

Areas that were previously difficult to reach are now becoming more accessible, attracting more tourists and investors to come.

Adjib added that the use of the bridging equity scheme provides a significant financial burden, so the company must be more careful in managing funding to maintain project sustainability.

State-of-the-art technology is implemented to support construction efficiency and the entire workflow and completeness of documents agreed from the start through a kick off meeting. With this step, the company managed to reduce the risk of delays in construction progress and ensure the JTTS project went according to plan.

Hutama Karya is committed to ensuring that the JTTS development will be sustainable so that it is hoped that the backbone (main route) will soon be fully connected according to the government's directives and plans.

In the second phase, the construction focuses on connecting the Palembang Jambi'Dumai section, followed by stage III which is expected by Lampung-Aceh to be fully connected and stage IV to connect feeder areas.

Adjib said, in addition to physical development, Hutama Karya also ensures that each JTTS section operates properly and provides optimal services to users.

"The latest technological innovation is implemented to ensure the smooth operation of toll roads and provide a safe and comfortable driving experience for users," said Adjib in a written statement, quoted Wednesday, October 16.