Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that the completion of the 39.8 kilometer Manado-Bitung toll road construction would create new points of economic growth in North Sulawesi.
"We hope that this development creates new points of economic growth. We expect economic growth in North Sulawesi to exceed national economic growth. Because, in 2021 North Sulawesi’s economic growth exceeded our national economic growth," President Jokowi said, when inaugurating the Manado-Bitung Toll Road for the Danowudu-Bitung section, in Bitung, North Sulawesi, Friday, as broadcast on Friday.
The Danowudu-Bitung section is 13.5 kilometers long. According to the President, with the completion of the construction of the Manado-Bitung Toll Road, the travel time from Manado to Bitung will be reduced to only 30-35 minutes from the previous 1.5-2 hours.
That way, the Manado-Bitung Toll Road will speed the delivery of logistics, mobility of people and goods from Manado to Bitung International Port and vice versa.
"And later we will direct the toll road to Likupang,” the President said.
Meanwhile, North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey noted that the completion of the Manado-Bitung Toll Road is evidence of the central government's seriousness in developing eastern Indonesia.
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"This is proof that the President and the central government are really building from east to west," Dondokambey said.
The Manado-Bitung toll road, Dondokambey noted, will support access to the tourist destination of Likupang, North Sulawesi, so that it will increase local economic growth.
"Despite COVID-19, North Sulawesi's economic growth continues to increase. In 2021, North Sulawesi’s economic growth reached 4.17 percent," he said.
The event was also attended by Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono and Minister of State Secretary Pratikno.
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Meanwhile, the Manado-Bitung Toll Road will be the main access road to the Bitung Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Bitung International Hub Port. This toll road was built under the government-to-business cooperation [KPBU] scheme, with an investment value of Rp8.9 trillion.
The Manado-Bitung toll road has several sections: Manado-Sukur, Sukur-Airmadidi, Airmadidi-Kauditan, Kauditan-Danowudu, and Danowudu-Bitung.
The Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono, earlier said that the Manado-Bitung toll road is the longest toll road in Sulawesi.
Minister Basuki noted that the investment value for construction of the toll road totaled Rp5.12 trillion, the financing of which was conducted under a government-business entity cooperation scheme.
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