CIKAPLI TOLL ROAD TO BE OPERATIONAL BEFORE FASTING MONTH

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 6 (Antara) -- The 116.7-kilometer-long Cikampek-Palimanan (Cikapali) toll road in Indramayu district and Cirebon municipality, West Java, is expected to be operational before the fasting month commences on June 18.         According to Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, the Cikapali toll road, which will reduce traffic congestion in the main traffic lane of Java's northern coastal areas (Pantura) by some 40 percent, will soon be inaugurated by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).         However, the minister did not reveal the exact date of the inauguration, only stating that it will be done before the fasting month of Ramadan begins on June 18 but after Jokowi's son's wedding celebrations on June 10 and 11.          "The president will hold the wedding celebrations on June 10 and 11. The fasting month will commence on June 18. So the inauguration will be organized sometime between these two events," Hadimuljono said while inspecting the Cikapali toll road on Tuesday.          With the operation of the toll road, gridlocks in trans-Java highways in Pantura can be eased by 40 percent, particularly during the exodus of travelers in the post-fasting period.          "The operation of the Cikapali toll road will reduce traffic congestion by 40 percent in the trans-Java highways in the Pantura region," the minister affirmed.                   The same expectation was also expressed by Governor of West Java Ahmad Heryawan Aher, who said that the presence of the toll road is expected to help ease traffic jams in the southern lane in West Java.          "I received a report that the Cikapali toll road is now ready for use by travelers. Yesterday, I was told by the deputy governor that the toll road was ready to be opened for post-fasting Idul Fitri holiday travelers," he noted in Bandung on Tuesday, June 2.          The deputy governor had traveled from Bandung to Cirebon using the Cikapali toll road the previous day, on Monday (June 1).          "The deputy governor said he was able to cover the distance from Bandung (West Java provincial capital) to Cirebon in only three hours. It took only two hours from Cikampek to Palimanan-Cirebon and only an hour from Bandung to Cikampek," Governor Aher pointed out.           Therefore, he is optimistic that Idul Fitri (Lebaran) travelers will be able to use the toll road without any constraints to go to their hometowns for the festivities.          "We hope that the gridlock during the Idul Fitri exodus will be overcome with the presence of the toll road," Aher stated.          After all, Aher added, the developer of the Cikapali toll road had told the president that the road would be ready for use by Idul Fitri travelers during Lebaran festivities.          "The developer of the toll road had explained this before the president. We trust it, and it has been reported by the media," he remarked.          However, it is possible that certain facilities are not 100 percent complete yet. "But the facilities can still be used, and Idul Fitri travelers will find it convenient," he added.          According to Minister Hadimuljono, the construction of the Cikapali toll road is 99 percent complete. The installation of traffic signs and lighting in a number of places is all that remains to be done.         What is guaranteed is that it will be inaugurated before the fasting month begins and that the vehicles in certain points of the Pantura highways will not get stuck in standstill traffic in the upcoming exodus of Idul Fitri travelers.          As the Cikapali toll road was a new one, Hadimuljono pointed out, a lot of vehicles were likely to use it. Therefore, to avoid congestion during the flow of Idul Fitri travelers, police personnel will be fielded to handle traffic, to ensure that excessive number of vehicles do not enter the toll road.         Moreover, a total of 99 bridges were also built in sections of the toll road, with only one of them still under construction. Crossover bridges for residents around the turnpike are also ready for use.         "Through this toll road, vehicles can proceed from (Jakarta) Cikampek to Brebes in East Java without the need to exit the toll road," the minister said.          According to Director General of Road Construction of the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry Hendyanto Husaini, a vehicle running at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour will take 1.5 hours to cover the new toll road from the starting point till the end.      "Using this toll road will reduce travel time by some 3.5 hours," he added.          Furthermore, Hudaya Arryanto, the deputy president director of developer PT Lintas Marga Sedaya, confirmed that the construction of the Cikampek-Palimanan toll road was 99 percent complete.          "We are confident that the new toll road will be operational before the post-fasting month Idul Fitri (Lebaran) festivities. Work is now pending on the installation of traffic signs and road marks," he noted in Purwakarta on Wednesday.          He affirmed that 99 percent of the work on the project had been completed and that the stretch will be open to the public before the Lebaran festivities, which fall on July 17 and 18 this year.          Once operational, traffic on the 116.7-kilometer-long stretch will run smoothly, and it will have various facilities such as rest areas, Arryanto stated.          "There are eight rest areas along the Cikapali toll road," he revealed.           They will be located every 30 kilometers and will allow users of the road to make a stopover.           Of the eight rest areas, four are major ones, or Class A, while the other four are medium ones, or Class B. These rest areas are the same in essence, besides the addition of fuel refilling stations in the Class A areas.     ***3*** (T014/INE) EDITED BY INE (H-YH) (T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 06-06-2015 18:07: