East Brebes-Semarang Tollway Slated to Begin Operations in 2017
25 August 2016 14:16 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry for Public Works and Housing is planning to accelerate the construction of the third section of the Pejagan-Pemalang Tollway, which will connect East Brebes and Tegal, the fourth section of the Tegal-Pemalang Tollway, which will eventually connect all sections to Pemalang, Batang, and onwards into Semarang. The Ministry has said that it plans to finish the construction of all sections and expects the Tollway to begun operating during the 2017 Eid al-Fitr homecoming season.
The move to accelerate the construction of the Tollway was put forth by the Regional Chief for the Development of Infrastructure, Hermanto Dardak, during a hearing at the House of Representative's (DPR) Commission V - which was in session to evaluate the existing supporting infrastructure relating to Indonesia's roads and bridges through 2016.
"The stretch of tollway from East Brebes to Semarang must be completed as soon as possible, as we want this stretch to be fully operation during the 2017 Eid al-Fitr homecoming season," said Dardak through a press release received by Tempo on Wednesday, August 24, 2016.
In addition to the acceleration of the construction of the tollway, the Ministry of Public Works also plans to construct a fly-over for trains in Pejagan - towards Ketanggungan, Klonengan, and Paguyangan, in its' bid to alleviate congestion in the traffic hotspot. "The construction is expected to take about eight months to complete," said Dardak.
Furthermore, in order to shorten transaction time at Indonesia's tollways, the Ministry plans to also further socialise the use of e-Payment methods. Real-time traffic information will also be relayed to motorists, as a bit to deliver the most updated information and better services for road users - which will include conditions at alternative routes. "That way, homecoming travellers will have an idea about the traffic conditions along the various routes that they could use, thus shortening their journey times," said Dardak.
In the future, the Ministry plans to install Variable Message Signs (VMS) along Indonesia's tollways, as these mobile units will help authorities to relay the most updated conditions without shortest amount of delay. These VMS will be supplemented with the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera to allow authorities to monitor the situation on the road.
In relation to rest areas - many of whom were blamed for causing the snaking queues that stretches onto the main body of the tollways during the homecoming season - the Ministry plans to construct rest areas in 15 minute intervals along the existing tollway system, in order to provide an alternative rest area for fatigued travellers. All of these rest areas will be equipped with toilets, petrol stations, prayer rooms, and parking space.
During the working session, Commission V members suggests the creation of a working committee that will be specifically tasked to review the causes of the massive traffic congestion that annually occur during the Eid al-Fitr homecoming season - driven to the scene of disastrous congestion that saw thousands of motorists trapped for hours in East Brebes.
Furthermore, the Head of Commission V, Dary Djemi Francis, called on the government to improve cross-sectoral coordination will all institutions that are tasked to ensure that the homecoming season runs smoothly, and to conduct a more thorough analysis about what could be improved - in terms of traffic management and manipulation during such periods. "We do not want a repeat of what had happened in the previous homecoming season," he said.
EGI ADYATAMA