Inaugurating The Balikpapan-Samarinda Toll Road, Jokowi: We Want Infrastructure Development To Be Equitable To The Islands

President Jokowi/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

BALIKPAPAN - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road are part of an effort to distribute development evenly.

"This is an achievement that we should be grateful for. Because we want infrastructure development not to be concentrated in Java and Sumatra, but to other islands," said Jokowi when inaugurating Section 1 and Section 5 of the Balikpapan-Samarinda Toll Road at the Manggar Toll Gate, Balikpapan was quoted by Antara, Tuesday, August 24.

Jokowi said the completion of the entire construction of the 97.3 km Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road is a historic moment because the Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road is the first toll road on the island of Borneo.

Previously, President Jokowi together with Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono and Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto and East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor tested the toll road. The group traveled from the Palaran Toll Gate after the President reviewed the COVID-19 vaccination at SMP 22 Samarinda.

Jokowi hopes that the Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road can increase the competitiveness of East Kalimantan's goods and services. With the transportation of passengers and goods, especially logistics, which is more smoothly via toll roads, it is hoped that prices can be reduced and time can be saved.

"We hope that this toll road will create new economic points, as well as improve logistics networks, to be more efficient and faster. Improving the competitiveness of commodities produced in East Kalimantan," he said.

One toll gate, for example, is at KM 13 Jalan Soekarno-Hatta, which is directly connected to the Kariangau Container Port in Balikpapan Bay.

Previously, President Jokowi had inaugurated Sections 2,3, and 4 in December 2019. The three sections, from the Samboja Toll Gate to the Palaran-Samarinda Toll Gate, are approximately 60 km long.

The total length of the Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road is 97.27 km. In Section 1 of Manggar there is the Manggar Toll Gate, where the President inaugurated Sections 1 and 5. As far as 13 km from the Manggar Toll Gate there is Soekarno-Hatta Gate KM 13.

This road was started to be built in 2010 by the East Kalimantan Provincial Government under Governor Awang Faroek Ishak. Due to financial difficulties, the project was taken over by the Central Government, and in the final calculation in 2021 it will cost Rp11.89 trillion.

This road is managed by PT Jasamarga Balikpapan-Samarinda by operating 4 toll gates, rest areas, 4 ambulances, 8 tow trucks, 32 CCTV cameras, 5 Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) points, 2 rescue units, 5 highway patrol cars. (PJR), and 6 units of MCS (Mobile Connectivity Service, cellular signal booster).

The fare through this toll road is still calculated from the Samboja-Palaran Toll Gate. For the Samboja-Manggar route, as stated by the Minister of PUPR Basuki Hadimuljono, it will be free for the next 2 weeks.

The fare from Samboja-Palaran is for class I vehicles from Samboja to the Pasir-Palaran intersection, the fee is Rp. 75,500, while from the Mahkota II-Palaran intersection, the fee is Rp. 83,500. Likewise in the opposite direction. Vehicles included in category I are sedans, jeeps, pickups, and buses.

Furthermore, the types of vehicles for class II and III from Samboja to Simpang Pasir are charged Rp. 113,000, then the Simpang Mahkota II Rp. 125,500. Likewise the reverse route. Included in this group are trucks with 2 and 3 axles (iron axles connecting the wheels).

Finally, class IV and V vehicles, namely trucks with 4 and 5 axles or more from the Samboja direction to Simpang Pasir costs Rp. Likewise the opposite direction.