Jokowi inaugurates new toll road section in E Java

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PASURUAN -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) dedicated a new toll road section stretching 20.5 kilometers (km) between Rembang and Pasuruan in East Java. The toll road expected could ease the movement of goods and people in the region here on Friday.

"In the name of Allah, I officially open the 20.5-km Gempol-Pasuruan toll road section," he stated at the ceremony.

President Jokowi said he had inspected the completed toll road development projects, and the public works minister had claimed that several other sections of the Trans-Java toll road would be ready in July, September, October, and November.

The toll road between Merak in West Java and Pasuruan is expected to become fully operational by the end of this year and will be followed by the development of the section until Banyuwangi at the farthest end in East Java, estimated to be completed by the end of 2019.

The president is optimistic that the toll road would boost the mobility of people and would make the distribution of logistical goods smoother, quicker, and cheaper.

Public Works Minister Basoeki Hadimoeljono stated that several sections of the Trans-Java toll road will become operational by the end of this year. "Work on the 43-km Bejagan-Pemalang section is 100 percent complete and is ready for operations in July. On the other hand, the 33-km Pemalang-Batang section is 72 percent complete and will be ready for inauguration in November," he remarked while referring to the toll road sections in Central Java.

He stated that work on the 74-km Batang-Semarang section was 78 percent complete and will be ready for operations in November, while the 33-km Salatiga-Kartosuro section is 70 percent complete.

"Work on the Wilangan-Kertosono section is 70 percent complete and will become operational in December, while the Porong-Gempol section in East Java will be ready for operations in September," he stated.

President Jokowi has intensified infrastructure development across the country to make it at par with other nations in an effort to improve connectivity and boost development.