12 National Highway Corridors in North Sumatra Can Be Used Again After the Recent Flood

A total of 12 national road corridors in North Sumatra Province have been able to be passed again after the recent flood. Photo: Dok. Ministry

JAKARTA - A total of 12 national road corridors in North Sumatra Province (Sumut) have been able to be passed again after the late November 2025 flood and landslide.

The Ministry of Public Works (PU) stated that the acceleration of handling continued, although in a number of sections, traffic arrangements and temporary road improvements were still being implemented to maintain the safety of road users.

PU Dody Hanggodo Minister emphasized that the restoration of national road functions was the main focus during the emergency response period until the transition to rehabilitation.

"The PU Ministry is moving quickly to ensure that the main roads are functional again so that community activities and logistics distribution are not hampered, while prioritizing the safety of road users," said Dody, quoted from a written statement, Tuesday, December 30.

"12 corridors have been connected, the Tarutung-Sipirok corridor along 68 kilometers (km) has been connected, although temporary road improvements or detours are still being carried out to improve safety.

"The Sibolga-Batangtoru corridor has also been connected with the construction of a mound above the new river channel and can be traversed by four-wheel drive vehicles.

"However, the road will be temporarily closed if it rains and the water discharge increases. Temporary road handling is still ongoing, including the installation of bailey bridges.

Meanwhile, the Batangtoru-Singkuang Corridor can already be passed with restrictions for light vehicles.

"The weather conditions are still often rainy, so stockpile, repair and compaction of aggregates are still needed.

"The Sidikalang-Singkil-Barus-Sorkam-Sibolga corridor can be passed," he said.

As the flood waters recede, access has also opened in the Padang Sidempuan-Panyabungan-West Sumatra Provincial Border Corridor, Padang Sidempuan-Batangtoru, Singkuang-Natal-Simpang Gambir-West Sumatra Provincial Border and the Aceh Provincial Border Corridor-Simpang Pangkalan Susu-Tanjung Pura Border-Binjai.

In addition to national roads, the Medan-Pangkalan Brandan Toll Road, Medan-Sinaksak and Tebing Tinggi-Kisaran roads are reported to have been operating normally.

Access has also opened on the West Sumatra Crossings Sibolga-Barus-Aceh Province Border-Aceh Singkil, the Central Sumatra Crossings Sidikalang-Kuta Buluh-Aceh Border-Kutacane and the East Sumatra Crossings Medan-Binjai-Pangkalan Brandan-Tanjung Pura-Aceh Province Border-Aceh Tamiang.

"The Ministry of PU said that field monitoring was still being carried out intensively by alerting heavy equipment and personnel to anticipate potential further disruptions, especially due to the still high rainfall," he said.

Masyarakat diimbau tetap berhati-hati, mematuhi rambu dan arahan petugas di lapangan serta mengikuti informasi resmi terkait kondisi lalu lintas di ruas-ruas terdampak.

"We will continue to work tirelessly until the emergency handling is complete and will continue with permanent repairs so that the infrastructure is reliable and safe again," he added.