TEMPO.CO, Slawi - The delay of the Java’s northern coastal highway (Pantura) roadwork has drawn criticism from various parties.

“The Lebaran (Idul Fitri holiday) is due within three months, and a month before the Lebaran all large scale construction works should be completed. How is it possible to complete the roadwork in two months?” transportation analyst Djoko Setijowarno from Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang said on Wednesday, April 23, 2014.

Djoko said the problems in Pantura would be impossible to address if they were handled by only one ministry, which was the Public Works Ministry. He added the Transportation Ministry should be involved in the roadwork to prevent Pantura from being a “never-ending project”.

In addition to poor quality, road damages in Pantura also ensued from the poor implementation of sanctions against large vehicles exceeding the maximum limit of load passing it.

Central Java Bina Marga’s head of Work Unit I, Sumarjono, admitted that the tender process for the renovation of the Pantura road had been sluggish. He said until this week, only two companies had submitted the down payment as a requirement to begin their works.

Sumarjono predicted the roadwork in Pantura would kick off in May. He said the roadwork could still be carried out albeit it began less than a month before Lebaran.

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