Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the House of Representatives from\nthe Gerindra Party faction, Andi Iwan Darmawan Aras, stated that there\nare disparities in infrastructure development in South Sulawesi. He\nassessed that the condition of roads and connectivity in the region is\nstill far from ideal, especially with the minimal development of toll\nroads.<\/p>\n
He revealed that the length of toll roads in South Sulawesi currently\nis only around 25 kilometres, or less than 1 percent of the total\nnational toll road length. This condition is considered one of the main\ncauses of congestion that occurs, even outside the peak homecoming\nperiod.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only during Eid, on ordinary days congestion is already a\nserious problem in South Sulawesi,\u201d said Andi in a written statement on\nSaturday (18\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
In addition, he highlighted the condition of the Makassar-Parepare\nnational road section, which serves as a vital route connecting regions\non the island of Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
According to him, this section has not experienced significant\nimprovements over nearly 24 years and has only received routine\nmaintenance without comprehensive reconstruction.<\/p>\n
This condition is worsened by suboptimal budget absorption in several\nprevious periods, so plans to increase road capacity have not proceeded\nas expected. Meanwhile, this route is the main congestion point or\nbottleneck for vehicle flow from West Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, to\nother northern regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeanwhile, this section is the main bottleneck or congestion point\nfor vehicles from West Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, to other northern\nregions,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that the preservation approach is no longer adequate in\nfacing the surge in vehicle volume. According to him, the government\nneeds to immediately take strategic steps through comprehensive road\nreconstruction.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoutine maintenance is no longer sufficient. Reconstruction is\nneeded so that vehicles can pass normally,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n
In the context of strengthening supporting infrastructure, Andi Iwan\nalso highlighted the scarcity of rest area facilities on the operating\ntoll road sections. He encouraged the government to open wider\ninvestment opportunities for the private sector to accelerate the\ndevelopment of such facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cRest areas do not have to be built with state budget funds. The\nprivate sector can also be involved so that development is faster and\nthe needs of road users are met,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, he also touched on the management of vehicle flow\non the Merak-Bakauheni crossing route, which he assessed as already\nquite good.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he emphasised the need for more adaptive traffic\narrangements, including optimising vehicle distribution between ports\nand separating lanes for large and small vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoordination between port operators and the police must be\nstrengthened so that vehicle distribution is more even and there is no\naccumulation,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gerindra-legislator-highlights-infrastructure-development-disparities-in-south-sulawesi-1776523852", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }