Minister of Public Works' Dilemma: Fund Getaci Toll Road or Flood Prevention Dams

The Gedebage-Tasikmalaya-Cilacap (Getaci) toll road project has been projected from the outset as one of Indonesia’s most ambitious toll road initiatives. Spanning 206.65 kilometres, this route is even said to surpass the Terbanggi Besar-Pematang Panggang-Kayu Agung toll road, which currently stretches 189 kilometres. However, this project, with an investment value of Rp56.2 trillion, has hit snags. One of the main obstacles is the limited interest from investors in participating in the construction of this cross-provincial toll road. In the initial phase, the project already had a auction winner. The consortium of PT Jasamarga Gedebage Cilacap (JGC), comprising PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk, PT Daya Mulia Turangga, PT Gama Group, and PT Jasa Sarana, was designated as the implementer in 2022. However, the plan did not proceed smoothly. The consortium failed to reach a financing agreement or financial close, which is a crucial requirement for project execution. As a result, the contract was declared null and void, and the project returned to the initial stage. Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo revealed that one of the main factors making this project less attractive is the low projection of vehicle traffic. “Usually, if a project we offer doesn’t attract much interest, it’s because the traffic is low,” Dody stated, quoted on Monday (13/4/2026). The government now faces a difficult choice, whether to continue the toll road project with additional funding injections or to redirect the budget to other needs deemed more urgent. Dody openly acknowledged this dilemma, especially when compared to the needs for flood management in industrial areas such as Karawang and Bekasi. By design, the Getaci toll road will connect West Java and Central Java regions with a total length of 206.65 kilometres. The breakdown is 171.27 kilometres in West Java and 35.38 kilometres in Central Java. This route is planned to pass through several areas, starting from Bandung City, Bandung Regency, Garut, Tasikmalaya, Tasikmalaya City, Ciamis, ending in Cilacap. In addition, this toll road will be equipped with 10 interchanges with a concession period of 40 years. Although it has strategic value, the enormous investment requirement poses its own challenge. Amid increasingly tight banking liquidity conditions, funding for jumbo-scale infrastructure projects like Getaci becomes increasingly difficult to realise without government support.