Following Alternative Route to Purwomartani Toll, Car Ends Up on Dirt Road

JAKARTA - Digital navigation apps certainly make journeys easier, but they do not always guarantee safe and comfortable routes.

This was experienced by a user named Satria Katana, who became stuck on an unusual path while heading to the functional Purwomartani toll in Yogyakarta.

The incident occurred on Sunday (23/3/2026), when Satria planned a trip from Yogyakarta to Surabaya. He departed from the Palagan area and relied on Google Maps to reach the Purwomartani toll entrance.

“At first, I was suspicious why Maps wasn’t guiding me to the main roads. But I thought maybe the main road was congested,” Satria said in his account to Kompas.com on Tuesday (24/3/2026).

That suspicion proved correct when the road conditions became increasingly narrow. It started with paving blocks and asphalt, but only wide enough for one vehicle. Shortly after, the road turned into damaged concrete and eventually a dirt road.

Satria was surprised to find he was not alone. He discovered dozens of other cars trapped on the same route. Local residents were on alert, with several volunteers helping to direct traffic to keep vehicles moving on the narrow path.

The journey through the dirt road and villages, with a width just enough for one car, made the travel time much longer. Satria said it took him about an hour just to exit that route and enter the Purwomartani Toll Gate.

“In total, I was stuck on that dirt road for about one hour until I could enter the GT Purwomartani. And from the toll, there were still many queues visible,” he said.