CONNECTIVITY MAIN KEY TO PAPUA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 1 (Antara) - Provinces in eastern Indonesia, such as Papua and West Papua, are relatively lagging behind those in the western part of the country, resulting in the government to accord priority to the development in Papua.          One of the development strategies that President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) government is carrying out in Papua is accelerating the development of infrastructure, including roads, in order to develop connectivity to isolated regions that could spur the growth of the local economy.          In developing connectivity, the government is also accelerating the realization of the sea toll project that connects Surabaya in East Java to Papua.          The construction of Trans-Papua Road last year, for example, has received a budget allocation of Rp2.15 trillion, consisting of Rp739 billion for the maintenance of 1,719.46 kilometer roads, Rp834.8 billion for the construction of 151.34 kilometer new roads, and Rp579.4 billion for the construction of bridges.          The projects are part of the Trans-Papua Highway that connect Papua and West Papua. Construction of the 4,330-kilometer Trans-Papua Highway in Indonesia's easternmost and mineral-rich provinces of Papua and West Papua will offer greater connectivity and is expected to boost economic activities in the regions.

TRANS-PAPUA HIGHWAY PROVIDES GREATER CONNECTIVITY TO PAPUA PROVINCES

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 3 (Antara) - Construction of the 4,330-kilometer (km) Trans-Papua Highway in Indonesia's easternmost and mineral-rich provinces of Papua and West Papua will offer greater connectivity and is expected to boost economic activities in the the regions.          The Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has completed the construction of about 3,850 km of the targeted 4,330 km Trans-Papua Highway that is expected to be completed by the end of the term of the current government of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in 2019.          "The 570-km Sorong-Manokwari segment in West Papua has relatively been connected. There is only a 12-km section at the border of West Papua and Papua that remains to be constructed. We have sent three teams, and this section must be completed this year," PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono stated in Jakarta recently.          The ongoing construction of the roads was inspected by Jokowi late last month. He rode a Trail motorcycle to inspect some seven kilometers of the section on Wednesday, May 10.          "If you ride the Trail motorcycle, the difficulty is obvious. Try to imagine those who carry out the construction work. We are trying to see it on the field," Jokowi noted after observing the project in Wamena, Papua.

TRANS-SUMATRA TOLL ROAD PROJECT STARTS NEXT MONTH

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Aug 18 (Antara) - The government will soon begin construction of two sections of the Trans-Sumatra toll road, which stretches across 2,771 kilometers from Lampung in eastern Sumatra to Aceh in the western tip of the island.          Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto reported that his ministry will push ahead with the groundbreaking of the construction of two sections of the Rp200-trillion Trans-Sumatra toll road project by the end of September or early October, 2014.          The construction will mark the beginning of the project, which is expected to help overcome connectivity problems and smooth transportation across Sumatra Island. It is hoped to help improve the flow of goods and transportation of the public, as well as generate economic development on the islands of Sumatra and Java.          With the project, transportation between Sumatra and Java will also be smooth, as it will link Bakauheni Ferry Port in Lampung with Merak Ferry Port in the western tip of Java Island.          Minister Kirmanto expressed hope that the groundbreaking will happen before President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's term of office ends on October 20, 2014.          "The groundbreaking is expected to be launched before the end of the Yudhoyono government's cabinet this year. We hope it will be launched at the end of September or early in October," stated Minister Kirmanto on Friday last week (Aug 15, 2015).

SUMATRA NEEDS TO QUICKEN ITS TOLL ROAD PROJECT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 22 (Antara) - One of the government's development agendas in Sumatra, as included in its master plan, is the construction of toll roads for accelerating the connecting of production centers and boosting the region's economic growth.          Sumatra urgently needs toll roads to provide alternatives for transportation of goods and people. The Trans Sumatra Highway, which stretches about 2,000 km from Aceh province in the western tip of Sumatra to Lampung province in the eastern section, could no longer handle the area's fast growing transportation.          Additionally, the Trans-Sumatra highway has deteriorated, as many sections are often damaged and need to be repaired every year,  causing delays in the transporting of goods and passengers to Java, and vice versa.          Thus, the government has included a Trans Sumatra Toll Road project, apart from electricity and seaports development, in its  MP3EI (Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia's Economic Development) projects in Sumatra.          Based on the plan, the Trans Sumatra Toll Road, spanning 2,000 km long from Bakauheni in the eastern part of Sumatra to Aceh in the western tip of the island, will be built at a cost of US$31.25 billion.          Scheduled for completion by 2025, the project is expected to help improve the flow of goods and transportation of the public, as well as help generate economic development on the islands of Java and Sumatra.

TRANS HIGHWAYS TO ENABLE ONE DRIVING OWN CAR FROM SABANG TO MARAUKE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 13 (ANTARA) - Trans Papua, Trans Maluku, Trans Java and Trans Sumatra highways construction is expected to boost connectivity across the country where people can drive to cover a distance of 5,000 km from the east to the west.          Sea corridors are also being built to connect Papua, with Maluku, Nusa Tenggara, Java and Sumatra. Especially over the Sunda Strait, a long bridge which would link Java and Sumatra is also under a planning scheme.          Besides linking various islands,  sea corridors are also built to connect six major seaports from the western to the eastern parts of the country, namely the Belawan seaport in Medan (North Sumatra) Batam, Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar and Sorong in Papua.          The sea corridor is called 'Pendulum Nusantara' (Archipelagic Pendulum).          Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said last month that the Pendulum Nusantara system had become an official national program. "This national program aims to cut logistics costs," he told a press conference at Priok Port on January 21, 2013.          Once these projects which included Trans Highways and sea corridors are already completed, one can drive his or her private car for a 5,000 km trip or tour of the country from Marauke in the east to Sabang in the west. Of course they have to use ferries within certain sections of islands.