TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-North Sulawesi provincial government is optimistic that the construction of Manado-Bitung toll road, the first in the region, will complete by 2018. “Manado-Bitung toll road will be ready for use in two years,” said the Head of Public Works Department of North Sulawesi J.E. Kenap in on Monday, May 9, 2016, in Manado.

He said that the toll road construction is being sped up by the contractor. “Therefore, we hope that residents could sell their land to help [accelerate the construction project],” Kenap said.

The land release is one of the issues hindering the construction of the toll road. The regional government continues to make approach to the owners of the land subject to the toll road construction, some of whom still need further persuasion.

The construction of Manado-Bitung Toll road is funded by the state budget, instead of private funds as adopted in other cities in Indonesia. “If we take it into account the number of vehicles expected to use the toll road, it does not meet with the requirements. However, as its future function is to boost operation of special economic zone [SEZ] and Bitung Container Port, the road is still being constructed anyway,” Kenap said.

The project of Manado-Bitung toll road is one of nine megaprojects in North Sulawesi aimed at boosting economic growth of eastern Indonesia regions.

ANTARA