History Of The Cipali Toll Road: Initiated By Soeharto, Built By SBY, Inaugurated By Jokowi

Cipali Toll Road (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Eight people died in an accident on the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) Toll Road. Road construction is in the spotlight. The Cipali toll road is relatively new. Inaugurated on June 13 2015, Cipali is listed as the longest toll road in Indonesia. Cipali also recorded a long history before construction began.

The name Cipali is taken as an acronym for the associated areas, namely Cikopo in Purwakarta, West Java and Palimanan, Cirebon, West Java. Crossing up to 116 kilometers, the Cipali Toll Road construction is a continuation of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road project which is part of the Jakarta-Palimanan toll road project.

Therefore, the zero kilometer point of the Cipali Toll Road is Cawang, Jakarta. And this toll road is included in the category of the Trans Java Toll Road that connects Merak, Banten to Banyuwangi, East Java.

"The Cipali Toll Road is part of the Trans Java Toll Road project that passes through five districts in West Java, namely Purwakarta, Subang, Indramayu, Majalengka, and Cirebon Regencies. This toll road has 99 bridges connected with the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road and Palimanan-Kanci Toll Road. "said the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimuljono on the official website of the Ministry of PUPR.

Quoted from the book Stories from the Corner of the Palace (2019) written by Alois Wisnuhardana, the Cipali Toll Road is eight strategic projects that have a history of halting development, and have even passed many presidential periods. The idea was born in the era of President Soeharto. However, the completion of the Cipali Toll Road was only achieved in the first term of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) 's administration.

Cipali Toll Road (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

"The history of the development of this section goes through the six Indonesian leadership. The idea of building the Cipali Toll Road existed in the era of President Soeharto's leadership. This has been recorded by the Bina Marga Office of Subang Regency since 1996. But unfortunately the project stalled due to the monetary crisis that occurred in 1998, "wrote Alois.

The construction of the Cipali Toll Road began in the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2004-2014). The authorities admit that they have experienced various obstacles, especially regarding land acquisition for residents. After Jokowi was elected in 2014, Jokowi, who focused on infrastructure, boosted the construction of the Cipali Toll Road. As a result, the longest toll road project was able to be completed two months earlier than the initial target.

"Jokowi inaugurated the use of this toll road on June 13, 2015, so that the JTTJ toll road segment is the heaviest and most challenging in terms of investment value, road length, the complexity of the company organization, the performance of the building companies, and the confusion over the rules," added Alois.

Cipali Toll Accident

Early Monday morning, August 10, an accident occurred at the Cipali toll road 184 kilometer. Eight people died. West Java Police Chief Inspector General Rudy Sufahriadi explained that the accident started when the Micro Bus Elf D-7013-AN changed lanes to the opposite lane.

The elf which was filled with 16 people then crashed into the Toyota Rush with four passengers. According to the latest news, August 10, at 11.00 WIB, apart from the death toll, one person was seriously injured. Another 14 were lightly injured. All of the victims who died were taken to Arjowinangun Hospital, Cirebon, West Java. The police are still investigating.

This accident prolongs the dark tragedy on the Cipali Toll Road, which has even been recorded since several weeks of operation. A report from Tempo Magazine entitled Cipali Toll Road Will Become a Quality Standard (2015) noted that less than a month - June 14 to July 7 - since it was inaugurated, there have been 54 accidents on the Cipali Toll Road.

"Finally, in July 2015, a Daihatsu Gran Max car with eleven passengers hit a truck carrying liquid cement at Kilometer 178. In the accident, seven people died and four were seriously injured," he wrote.

The operational feasibility and the certificate of the Cipali Toll Road are also frequently questioned. The PUPR Minister, Basuki Hadimuljono, at that time stated that there were no construction problems on the Cipali Toll Road. Basuki assessed that more accidents were caused by driver fatigue, given the length of the Cipali Toll route.

"First, the accident was not due to geometry or road conditions. Second, accidents occur at distant points, which is possible when the driver starts to get tired. Many fatal accidents have occurred from the direction of Cirebon to Jakarta, which are suspected of being experienced by drivers from Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Semarang. Maybe those who are trying the new toll road are tired, ”said Basuki as quoted by Tempo Magazine.

However, at that time Basuki had considered various steps to reduce the number of accidents. Some of them by giving brief warnings to motorists at toll entrances, giving hot coffee, as well as by police patrols. "If there is noise and noise, the driver will become aware," said Basuki.