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