Handling of Sumatra Crossroad Accelerated Amid Road Safety Evaluation
The acceleration of handling and strengthening services for the Sumatra Crossroad (Jalinsum) corridor from Lubuk Linggau to the Jambi border continues as part of efforts to maintain road user safety following the traffic accident involving Bus ALS and a fuel tanker truck on Wednesday, 6 May 2026.
The incident occurred on the Maur-Terawas road section, which is part of the Central Sumatra Crossroad with a length of 35.98 kilometres and an average width of 5.6 metres. The Lubuk Linggau to Jambi border corridor itself has a total length of about 98 kilometres with a national road stability condition of 91 per cent.
The government, through the South Sumatra Major Implementation Centre for National Roads (BBPJN), had previously carried out road preservation during the 2026 Eid homecoming and return flows, so the road sections were in a managed condition. However, the high intensity of rain in recent months has caused several new pothole points to reappear on some road sections.
Director General of Road Development Roy Rizali Anwar expressed condolences to the victims of the accident and hopes that transportation safety oversight can continue to be improved.
Roy stated that his side is still awaiting the investigation results from the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), the Ministry of Transportation, and the Police regarding the cause of the accident.
“As we know, the Maur-Terawas road section is part of the Sumatra Crossroad from Lubuk Linggau to the Jambi border with a national road stability condition of 91 per cent with a total length of 98 kilometres,” Roy explained.
On the same occasion, Director of Road and Bridge Preservation for Region I of the Directorate General of Road Development Hendro Satrio said that the potholes on the Maur-Terawas road section are relatively small and not deep, but they remain a concern for immediate handling and repair.
“We have already checked the condition along this road section; indeed, there are several potholes at the location, but the potholes are small and not deep,” Hendro said.
According to Hendro, the acceleration of handling is being carried out using rubber asphalt material or CPHMA available at the South Sumatra BBPJN in accordance with the instructions of the Director General of Road Development. “Insyaallah, within a few days, we will patch all the potholes,” he stated.
Hendro also explained that during the previous Eid route, the road section was already in a managed condition, but the quite high rainfall has caused several new damage points to emerge, which are now being addressed.
“Actually, this road section, during the Eid route yesterday, had no more potholes; we had handled them, but it turns out that in the last few months, there has been quite high rainfall intensity, so new potholes have appeared, and now they are also being handled by the centre,” he added.
In addition to road handling, the government is still awaiting investigation results regarding the possible causes of the accident, including suspected engine sparks on the bus or driver microsleep.