TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government plans to accelerate the development of several strategic infrastructure projects done in collaboration with Japan.
Public Works and People's Housing Minister Basoeki Hadimoeljono said the two countries have been having intensive discussions since Indonesia's visit to Japan in July last year.
"We are pushing to obtain JICA's funding for the construction of the Padang-Bukittinggi-Pekanbaru toll road tunnel," he said in a press release last weekend.
Basuki said that for the Padang-Bukittinggi-Pekanbaru toll project, the Japanese government is committed to finance the construction of a 40-kilometer road—including a 7-km tunnel. Financing is provided in the form of loans to the Indonesian government.
"The total construction cost of the 255.8 km toll road is Rp65 trillion. The construction period if from 2018 until 2023," he said.
Other projects that Indonesia is carrying out with the help of the Japanese government include the Port Patimban access road, the Central Jakarta Waste Management System (Jakarta Sewerage System), as well as the semi-bullet train between Jakarta and Surabaya.
SYAFIUL HADI
