VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Screenshot of President Joko Widodo (middle) inaugurates the Manado-Bitung Toll Road in Bitung City, North Sulawesi, on Friday, February 25, 2022. (ANTARA/Gilang Galiartha/rst) - 

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Manado-Bitung Toll Road in Bitung City, North Sulawesi, on Friday, after construction of the 13.5-kilometer Danowudu-Bitung section was completed.

"Thus, the entire 39.8-kilometer Manado-Bitung Toll Road is complete and ready to be used to support all community activities in North Sulawesi Province," Jokowi stated at the inauguration broadcast online from the Presidential Secretariat's official YouTube channel.

Jokowi and his entourage also had the opportunity to use the Manado-Bitung Toll Road after continuing a series of working visits from Palu City, Central Sulawesi.

The president traveled on the Manado-Bitung Toll Road in the company of Governor of North Sulawesi Olly Dondokambey, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, and State Secretary Minister Pratikno.

"The governor said that this toll road cuts the travel time from Manado to Bitung, from earlier 1.5 hours to two hours. Recently, I have used the toll road, and it took only 35 minutes. If I was speeding, I thought it would only take 30 minutes," Jokowi remarked.

With this reduction in travel time, Jokowi believes that the Manado-Bitung Toll Road will not only facilitate the people's mobility from Manado to Bitung but will also be useful for logistics delivery and goods mobility from Manado to the Bitung International Port.

Meanwhile, the North Sulawesi governor noted that the completion of construction of the Manado-Bitung Toll Road would support economic growth in the region.

"This is proof that the president and the central government are really serious in building the country from east to the west," he affirmed.

He also highlighted that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, North Sulawesi's economy had managed to grow by 4.17 percent in 2021.

North Sulawesi's economic growth rate exceeded Indonesia's 2021 national economic growth that is at 3.69 percent//ANT