Rp 420b earmarked for Sumatra highway

Rp 420b earmarked for Sumatra highway

JAKARTA: The government is planning a Rp 420 billion upgrade
of the 2,508-kilometer East Sumatra highway from Banda Aceh
province to Lampung province next year, a senior government
official said Wednesday.

Hendriyanto Noetosoegondo, director general of regional
infrastructure at the Ministry of Resettlement and Regional
Infrastructure, said the money was well short of the Rp 1.3
trillion needed to fix the road completely.

He said that only 1,038 kilometers of the highway, used by
3,000 vehicles daily, could be used, forcing many travelers to
use the Central Sumatra and West Sumatra highways.

The worst sections of the highway included a 114-kilometer
stretch from Simpang Penyandingan to the Lampung provincial
border and from Betung to Peninggalan in South Sumatra.

Also, 14.5-kilometers of highway near Simpang Lago Sore, Jambi
and 20-kilometers of road in Riau Province were badly damaged, he
said. --Antara