REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian government is considering building a 1,600-kilometer toll road linking the western to eastern tips of Java to provide easy access to tourist destinations in the island's southern coastal region.

"The construction of Java's southern coastal toll road is aimed at improving access to the tourist destinations as the southern coastal region offer great tourism potentials including Ciletuh Geopark in Pelabuhanratu, Sukabumi district, West Java," Director General of Highway Construction at the Public Works and Housing Ministry Arie Setiadi Moerwanto said here on Tuesday.

He said the ministry has set up a selection team for the development of transportation infrastructure in Java's southern coastal region.

Some sections of the planned toll road have been completed and are being constructed, he said.

If all southern coastal parts of Java stretching from Banten province in the west to East Java province in the east have been connected, the tourism industry in the region will continue to grow, he said.

He did not rule out the possibility that the number of foreign tourists will surge if all southern coastal parts of Java have been connected.

"Admittedly, it is difficult to build a toll road in Java's southern coastal area because the land is made up of hills and valleys. But the areas have a host of tourist sites. Hence, President Joko Widodo has instructed to speed up the development of Java's southern coastal areas," he added. 

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