Trans-Java toll road will reduce prices of basic necessities: Minister

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Trans-Java Toll Road connecting the Merak Ferry Port in Banten Province to Banyuwangi in East Java would become a logistics route to support the growth of industries and reduce the prices of basic necessities, a top minister said here on Thursday.


"Our dream is to build the Trans-Java Toll Road spanning from Banjarnegara in Banten to Banyuwangi, which is targeted to be completed in 2020, or at the latest, in 2021," Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said.

The toll road would become Indonesia's logistics route and was expected to help boost the country's economy as a result of the growing number of industries, he revealed in a press statement made available to Antara.

The toll road would reduce the prices of basic commodities and provide the people with alternative modes of transportation, he said, adding that experts had calculated that Java Island would be similar to an island city between 2045 and 2050.

On Wednesday, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Pasuruan-Probolinggo section of the Trans-Java toll road with hopes of it being able to drive the development of small and medium industrial areas in East Java.

"We hope that the completed toll road section will expedite the transportation of people, logistics goods, and materials as compared to before," Jokowi remarked.

The Trans-Java toll road, comprising the Pasuran-Probolinggo section, spanning 31.30 kilometers in length, will help visitors reach tourist destinations sooner.

With the Pasuruan-Probolinggo toll road section being completed, the Trans-Java Toll Road from Merak in Banten Province to Probolinggo in East Java Province spans across 962 kilometers.

The Government of Indonesia has targeted to complete the 1,148-km Trans-Java Toll Road from Merak to Banyuwangi in East Java by 2021.

According to Antara, infrastructure development appears to be the key focus of Jokowi, as a notable extension of toll roads was observed under his government.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono pointed out that the construction of some 941 kilometers of toll roads and 3,423 kilometers of national roads was undertaken during the four-year term of the Widodo-Jusuf Kalla administration.

Work on the Trans-Java Highway that connects the ferry port in Merak, Banten Province, to Surabaya, the capital city of East Java Province, too was completed, thus reducing the travel time and decreasing the current logistics costs.nn

Under the central government's focused development projects, construction of toll roads was not merely conducted in Java but also outside the island, including in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.

EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Ade Irma Junida, Rahmad Nasuti
Editor: Fardah Assegaf