Gerindra Legislator Highlights Infrastructure Development Disparities in South Sulawesi
Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the House of Representatives from the Gerindra Party faction, Andi Iwan Darmawan Aras, stated that there are disparities in infrastructure development in South Sulawesi. He assessed that the condition of roads and connectivity in the region is still far from ideal, especially with the minimal development of toll roads.
He revealed that the length of toll roads in South Sulawesi currently is only around 25 kilometres, or less than 1 percent of the total national toll road length. This condition is considered one of the main causes of congestion that occurs, even outside the peak homecoming period.
“Not only during Eid, on ordinary days congestion is already a serious problem in South Sulawesi,” said Andi in a written statement on Saturday (18/4/2026).
In addition, he highlighted the condition of the Makassar-Parepare national road section, which serves as a vital route connecting regions on the island of Sulawesi.
According to him, this section has not experienced significant improvements over nearly 24 years and has only received routine maintenance without comprehensive reconstruction.
This condition is worsened by suboptimal budget absorption in several previous periods, so plans to increase road capacity have not proceeded as expected. Meanwhile, this route is the main congestion point or bottleneck for vehicle flow from West Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, to other northern regions.
“Meanwhile, this section is the main bottleneck or congestion point for vehicles from West Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, to other northern regions,” he explained.
He emphasised that the preservation approach is no longer adequate in facing the surge in vehicle volume. According to him, the government needs to immediately take strategic steps through comprehensive road reconstruction.
“Routine maintenance is no longer sufficient. Reconstruction is needed so that vehicles can pass normally,” he stressed.
In the context of strengthening supporting infrastructure, Andi Iwan also highlighted the scarcity of rest area facilities on the operating toll road sections. He encouraged the government to open wider investment opportunities for the private sector to accelerate the development of such facilities.
“Rest areas do not have to be built with state budget funds. The private sector can also be involved so that development is faster and the needs of road users are met,” he said.
On the other hand, he also touched on the management of vehicle flow on the Merak-Bakauheni crossing route, which he assessed as already quite good.
Nevertheless, he emphasised the need for more adaptive traffic arrangements, including optimising vehicle distribution between ports and separating lanes for large and small vehicles.
“Coordination between port operators and the police must be strengthened so that vehicle distribution is more even and there is no accumulation,” he concluded.