West Sumatra Disbanded The Plan For The Development Of The Termbus Padang-Solok Road

Road Illustration (Photo: Pexels)

JAKARTA - The West Sumatra Provincial Government is again exploring the possibility of building a new Padang-Solok road as an alternative route for motorists to choose from other than the Lauik screening extreme road.

"The plan to build a road from Lubuk Min goes down, Padang goes to Paningghan, Solok has existed before. However, it stopped because some of the entrances to the protected forest area. Now we are trying to explore again," said the Governor of West Sumatra, Mahyeldi in Padang, Saturday, September 3.

The new road has strategic value for the economy of West Sumatra. Coupled with the distance from Padang-Solok via Siview Lauik, the distance is not too much different so it can be an alternative for goods transportation that passes through the middle of Sumatra.

Especially at this time, road conditions in Siwik Lauik often experience landslides which often close road access so that goods transportation is disrupted.

Even though the road is one of the pulses of the West Sumatra economy. Transportation of land goods from Jakarta, Lampung, Palembang and Jambi to Padang must pass through the road.

In addition, the road to Lubuk Min goes down-Paningdehan will also be able to encourage the development of regional tourism to improve the community's economy.

"This road can also be a solution for congestion during the holiday season, especially during Eid," he said as quoted by ANTARA.

In 2013, the copy road had been opened for up to eight kilometers. However, the work was stopped because it was blocked by the status of a protected forest area.

However, due to the strategic value of the road which could be a solution to some of the problems currently being faced by West Sumatra, West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi assessed that the plan to reopen the road deserves to be explored.

The vast protected forest area in West Sumatra is one of the guarantees in preserving the environment for the quality of life of the community. But in some cases, the area became an obstacle in development plans even in disaster management.