The Mauponggo-Ngera-Pu\u2019uwada road section in Nagekeo Regency, East\nNusa Tenggara (NTT), recently completed under the Presidential\nInstruction for Regional Roads (IJD) programme, has drawn sharp\ncriticism from the public. The project, worth billions of rupiah, was\nreportedly provisionally handed over (PHO) in a physically damaged\ncondition.<\/p>\n
An investigation by Media Indonesia and the Nagekeo Journalists\nAlliance on the Mauponggo-Ngera-Pu\u2019uwada road on 12 March 2026,\nfollowing the PHO on 11 March 2026, revealed several points of damage.\nAlthough declared complete and handed over on 11 March 2026, the road\nshowed serious damage at various points. Wide cracks emitting mud\ndeposits were clearly visible, particularly in the area behind Ngera\nVillage.<\/p>\n
Some cracked sections of the road were attempted to be covered with\nadditional hotmix asphalt layers, but the material did not adhere\nproperly. This condition has raised suspicions that the handover was\nforced despite the quality not meeting contract standards.<\/p>\n
The head of the PJNW IV Project Implementation Unit for NTT Province,\nWilhelmus Sugu Djawa, clarified that the Mauponggo-Ngera-Pu\u2019uwada 1 Road\nPreservation Package, valued at Rp9,114,590,000, was carried out in\naccordance with the contract. According to him, damage that occurred at\nthe end of 2025 due to extreme weather had been repaired by CV Ratu\nOrzora before the PHO.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe road is now usable by the general public smoothly. The NTT BPJN\nis committed to providing the best,\u201d said Wilhelmus.<\/p>\n
PPK Ricard Manukoa added that the project is under the supervision of\nthe High Prosecutor\u2019s Office and will soon be audited by BPKP.\n\u201cEverything has been repaired, no need to worry about lab inspections\nlater, and after Eid there will be a BPKP audit for all IJD,\u201d said\nRicard.<\/p>\n
An expert source in hotmix asphalt road construction with experience\nin APBN projects highlighted the use of the thin asphalt sand layer\n(latasir) method in the repairs. According to him, this method only\nserves to cover rough asphalt surfaces, not to strengthen the road base\nstructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cLatasir work like this is only for covering rough or hairline cracks\nin asphalt pores, not for strengthening the road base structure,\u201d he\nstated. He also criticised the quality of the aggregate, suspected to\ncontain a lot of soil mud, as seen in videos of the damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey did not present the zero condition before work, only sending\nthe condition that was 100 percent complete,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he explained that for road conditions as reported\npreviously, the work should start from a strong base layer. The ideal\nstages include using Class A aggregate foundation compacted to at least\n98 percent density, before proceeding with the wearing course layer of\nHot Rolled Sheet \u2013 Wearing Course (HRS-WC).<\/p>\n
In the project planning, it was stated that the asphalt layer was\nindeed designed as a single layer, namely HRS-WC. Therefore, the quality\nof work on the aggregate base layer becomes crucial in ensuring road\ndurability.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the foundation is not done well, the asphalt layer on top will be\nprone to damage,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Technically, he added that in ideal road construction, before the\nHRS-WC layer, a base asphalt layer such as HRS-Base should be used.\nHowever, based on technical guidelines from the central government, some\nprojects directly use HRS-WC without that layer, so field implementation\nfollows the established design.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, this method is still considered applicable if the base\nsoil condition is sufficiently stable. An alternative is to use selected\nfill or embankment on the base layer before aggregate installation.<\/p>\n
For projects funded by the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget\n(APBN), the more common practice is layered construction. Starting from\nselected embankment, followed by Class B aggregate, Class A aggregate,\nand then coated with asphalt as the final layer.<\/p>\n
Moreover, working during the rainy season is not an excuse. If the\nsoil structure is unstable, there are other alternatives prepared, such\nas strengthening the foundation structure with cement. Unless there is a\nmajor disaster like flooding and landslides that cannot be avoided or\nforce majeure in technical terms. Then, before work is carried out,\ntechnical planning always includes soil bearing capacity tests to\ndetermine if the soil is unstable or not.<\/p>\n
Viktor Tegu, a Nagekeo DPRD member from Ngera, emphasised that on 12\nMarch 2026, the road was still under repair when journalists visited the\nsite. \u201cI think it\u2019s not right to call the news a hoax; when the\njournalists came on the 12th, the reality on the ground was that repairs\nwere still ongoing,\u201d Viktor asserted.<\/p>\n
Local resident Egidius Situ also confirmed the presence of damage\nbefore the new asphalt layering was done. With a total budget of Rp18\nbillion, the community hopes the road quality will last long and not\njust be aesthetically repaired on the surface alone.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rp18-billion-nagekeo-presidential-instruction-road-project-handed-over-in-damaged-condition-1774608696", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }