VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Tuesday lauded the provincial and district governments, and the people of Aceh for their success in ensuring quick land acquisition for the toll road construction project in the province.

"I thank the acting governor, district heads, and people of Aceh for their success," President Jokowi said on the sidelines of his official visit to the province to inaugurate the Banda Aceh-Sigli Toll Road Section 4 in Aceh Besar, Aceh, on Tuesday.

The process of land acquisition in Aceh for the toll road project has been much quicker compared to many other provinces, he noted, adding that 84 percent of land needed for building the 74-km-long Banda Aceh-Sigli toll road could be attained.

The Banda Aceh-Sigli toll road section, which is expected to be completed in 2024, is part of the Trans-Sumatra toll road project that will connect Aceh and Lampung provinces.

"The presence of this infrastructure project is expected to create new centers of business and economic growth in Aceh," the President remarked.

President Jokowi has demanded that the main corridor of the Trans-Sumatra toll road sections in Aceh be integrated with and connected to the province's tourism and agricultural centers, as well as industrial areas.

This would allow people at large to benefit from the construction of the toll road sections in Indonesia's westernmost province, he explained.

On Tuesday, President Jokowi inaugurated the Sigli-Blang Bintang Toll Road, which is section 4 of the 74-kilometer-long Banda Aceh-Sigli Toll Road.

This is the first toll road section built in Aceh province as part of the Trans-Sumatra toll road project.

Since the first and second leadership terms of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), infrastructure has been accorded special priority, with the extension of toll roads bearing testament to this focus.

According to the Public Works and Housing Ministry, at least 941 kilometers of toll roads and 3,423 kilometers of national roads were constructed during the first leadership term of President Jokowi.

Meanwhike, work on the Trans-Java Highway connecting the ferry port in Merak, Banten province, to Surabaya, the capital city of East Java province, is complete, thereby reducing the travel time and current logistics costs.

As part of the central government's prioritized development projects, toll roads are not merely being constructed in Java, but also in areas outside the island, such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.

In Sumatra Island, several sections of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road have been completed, and the government is planning to complete the entire section in 2024.

Work on the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road project is still underway. State-owned construction companies involved in the project have striven ceaselessly to ensure it is
completed within the deadline. (ANTARA)