Skull Route at Alas Roban Restored Following Strong Winds

BATANG, KOMPAS.com – The national highway in the Alas Roban area, specifically on the Batang–Kendal stretch in Central Java, was temporarily affected by strong winds that toppled dozens of trees and electricity poles.

However, the route, known as the “skull route,” has now been restored and traffic has returned to normal.

Ridwan Umbara, the Commitment-Making Official (PPK) 1.2 of the Major Road Implementation Agency (BBPJN) for Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta under the Directorate General of Highways at the Ministry of Public Works, stated that the incident occurred on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, at approximately 16:30 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) on the Batang–Kendal stretch at kilometre markers 73–74.

He announced this during a briefing at a coastal highway inspection activity in Tegal, Central Java, on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

“On Wednesday, 4 March 2026, at approximately 16:30, severe winds caused 24 electricity poles to topple, and approximately 20 teak timber logs belonging to Perhutani also fell,” said Ridwan.

“The blockage extended approximately one kilometre, from kilometre marker 74 to 73,” he added.

Field teams immediately carried out emergency response measures overnight by clearing the fallen trees to keep the route operational. At that time, traffic management measures in the form of contraflow (opposing flow) were implemented for vehicles coming from the Semarang direction.

“What we did when the incident occurred in the afternoon was to ensure the fallen teak trees could be cleared first that night so the route remained functional. For the Semarang direction, contraflow was implemented until morning,” he said.

The following day, BBPJN coordinated with PLN (the state electricity company) to address the toppled electricity poles.

The process of restoring the electrical network and clearing the route was finally completed on Thursday at approximately 15:00 WIB.

“Thank God, by Thursday at three in the afternoon it was completed, and PLN had also replaced the new poles so both directions—towards Semarang and Jakarta—had returned to normal with four lanes,” said Ridwan.

In addressing the incident, BBPJN deployed several pieces of heavy equipment and involved various parties.

“We deployed one wheel loader, two dump trucks, and one excavator loader. Equipment assistance was also sent directly from the Major Agency to this location,” he said.