Coordinating Minister AHY inspects Singkawang Airport road access in West Kalimantan
Singkawang (ANTARA) — Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) inspected the development of road access to Singkawang Airport in Singkawang city, West Kalimantan, as an effort to strengthen connectivity and support regional economic growth.
AHY, who had just arrived at Singkawang Airport on Monday, stated that airport infrastructure is now one of the backbone elements of connectivity in West Kalimantan, particularly for the Singkawang region and its surroundings.
“I stopped briefly at the location of the road construction leading to the airport. This is extremely vital because previously the public had to take a detour of approximately 30 minutes, but now it can be covered in about five minutes,” he said during a press briefing.
He explained that the construction of the approximately 10-kilometre road from the national highway towards Singkawang city centre cost around Rp115 billion and is being implemented in three phases, namely in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
According to AHY, the greatest challenge in the road construction is the soil structure condition consisting of peat and swamp. To overcome this, reinforcement is carried out through the installation of piles to a depth of four to six metres with a spacing of 40 centimetres, as well as the use of geotextile stabiliser before the asphalt process.
“In general, this road has two lanes, although ideally it should have four lanes. Currently, only about 150 metres near the airport already has four lanes. Approximately Rp50 billion more is required to upgrade to four lanes,” he said.
Beyond inspecting the airport access, AHY also received briefings regarding the condition of national roads in West Kalimantan, which span approximately 2,000 kilometres. In general, 95 to 97 per cent are in good condition, though some sections still have widths below the ideal standard of seven metres, ranging between 4.5 and five metres.
“This is not only our front veranda bordering Malaysia, but also has strategic value from security and economic perspectives, including supporting oil palm plantation areas in the surrounding region,” he said.
AHY emphasised that his presence alongside officials from the Ministry of Public Works and local government is to ensure that infrastructure development continues despite budget constraints.
He added that strengthening infrastructure in Singkawang is also relevant to the tourism agenda, including the Cap Go Meh celebrations which annually attract domestic and international tourist visits.
The central government, he continued, will continue to coordinate with provincial and municipal governments to ensure connectivity in West Kalimantan becomes increasingly optimal and capable of driving regional economic growth.