Jokowi Inaugurates Construction of Padang-Sicincin Toll Road
10 February 2018 16:14 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Padang - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi inaugurated the construction of Padang-Sicincin toll road, West Sumatra, on Friday, February 9. The new toll road will connect Padang with Pekanbaru, Riau.
Jokowi said that it was only the first stage of Padang-Pekanbaru toll road construction which is targeted to be completed in 2023. The cost was estimated to be Rp78 trillion.
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To connect Padang-Pekanbaru (254 kilometers), the government will also build a tunnel in the Anai Valley, Tanah Datar regency which required a Rp9 trillion fund.
According to the president, the Padang-Pekanbaru toll road will have a tremendous economic effect for West Sumatra and the surrounding areas, such as the tourism development potential.
Jokowi said that West Sumatra has a complex natural beauty but it must be supported by good infrastructure. “[To go from] Padang to Pekanbaru takes a nine-hour trip. In 2023, Padang-Pekanbaru can be reached in 2,5-3 hours,” he said.
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Previously, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Rini M. Soemarno said that the Padang-Sicincin toll road (29 kilometers) is targeted to be completed before Eid Al-Fitr 2019.
Rini said that the Padang-Pekanbaru toll road will be built in four stages. The second stage, Sicincin-Payakumbuh is planned to be built in 2021-2023. The third stage, Payakumbuh-Bangkinang in 2022-2023 and the fourth stage, Bangkinang-Pekanbaru, in 2021-2023.
ANDRI EL FARUQI
