Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will officially inaugurate the 131-kilometer Pekanbaru-Dumai toll road, the first highway in Riau Province, through a virtual conference from the State Palace on Friday, Riau Governor Syamsuar stated on Thursday.
"Inauguration of the toll road in Dumai, Riau Province, will be attended by 50 people, including Public Works and Housing Minister Basoeki Hadimoeljono, while Mr President will inaugurate it from the State Palace (in Jakarta)," he informed journalists here.
Inauguration of this Pekanbaru-Dumai toll road will take place at the Dumai toll gate in Bagan Besar neighborhood, Bukit Kapur Sub-district, Dumai City, he remarked.
As part of Indonesia's national strategic projects and one of the toll road sections of the Trans-Sumatra corridor, the Pekanbaru-Dumai highway is expected to propel Riau Province's economy, Governor Syamsuar affirmed.
Since the first and second leadership terms of President Jokowi, infrastructure has held special significance, with notable extension of toll roads being testament to it.
According to the Public Works and Housing Ministry, during President Jokowi's first leadership term, at least 941 kilometers of toll roads and 3,423 kilometers of national roads were constructed.
Work on the Trans-Java Highway connecting the ferry port in Merak, Banten Province, to Surabaya, the capital city of East Java Province, is complete, thereby reducing the travel time and current logistics costs.
As part of the central government's prioritized development projects, the toll roads are not merely constructed in Java, but they are also built outside the island, such as in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.
In Sumatra Island, several sections of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road have been completed, while the government is eyeing to complete entire sections in 2024.
Work on the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road Construction project is still underway. State-owned construction companies involved in the project have striven ceaselessly to ensure it is completed in line with the set target.
On August 25, 2020, President Jokowi had inaugurated the 13.5-km Indrapuri-Blang Bintang toll road, the first toll road section in Aceh Province, which is part of the Banda Aceh-Sigli toll road.
Five other sections of the Banda Aceh-Sigli toll road are Padang Tiji-Seulimum, spanning 24.3 km; Seulimum-Jantho, measuring 7.6 km; Jantho-Indrapuri, reaching 16 km; Blang Bintang-Kuta Baro, totaling 7.7 km; and Kuta Baro-Baitussalam, spanning 5 km. (INE).
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