How the Transport Minister Is Anticipating Traffic Congestion on the Merak–Bakauheni Route During Eid al-Fitr 2026

The Indonesian Transport Minister Dudy Purwangandhi outlined two crucial points for attention during the mudik and balik Lebaran 2026. These points are the junctions where road transport meets sea crossings at the two ends of Java. ‘The critical points are the combination of road transport and crossing transport, namely the Merak–Bakauheni route and Ketapang–Gilimanuk,’ he said during an update on readiness for Lebaran Transport 2026 at The Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta, on Friday (6 March 2026). He explained that the Merak–Bakauheni crossing is one of the most crucial points because it is not the journey’s end. Many vehicles arriving in Merak come from Jakarta and other parts of Java to cross to Sumatra. ‘In other words, the number of vehicles arriving at Merak does not decrease, and may increase because vehicles from the Banten region also join,’ he said. To address potential congestion, Dudy continued, the government is preparing four ports on the Java side, namely Ciwandan Port, Krakatau Bandar Samudera Port, Merak Port, and BBJ Bojonegara Port. On the Sumatra side, he said, the government is preparing four destination ports, namely Bakauheni Port, Muara Pilu, Wika Beton, and Panjang Port. ‘Ciwandan Port will be focused on serving two-wheeled vehicles and small-scale freight transport,’ he added.