Trans-Sumatra Toll Road Not Yet Fully Connected, Here Are the Reasons

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Minister of Public Works (PU), Dody Hanggodo, has revealed the progress of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road (JTTS) project, which is currently still under construction across several sections.

Dody stated that the JTTS project is ongoing. However, regarding when the toll road will be fully connected from Lampung to Aceh, he indicated that this cannot be achieved this year, as several sections are still undergoing land acquisition.

“The Trans-Sumatra Toll Road (JTTS) project is continuing, but the priority is on which sections to develop first, so it is being done gradually. It may still be fragmented this year and cannot yet be fully connected from Lampung to Aceh,” said Dody when met by journalists at the DPR RI building on Tuesday (2/6/2026).

While he did not detail which specific sections are ready for operation this year, he explained that the completion of the JTTS is a phased annual development. Consequently, his department cannot yet confirm when the JTTS will be fully operational from Lampung to Aceh.

“Construction continues gradually every year, so it cannot be fully completed from Lampung to Aceh this year,” he explained.

Previously, the construction of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road has continued, but sections from Palembang-Jambi-Pekanbaru remain unconnected. As a result, travellers from Java heading to Medan or Aceh must still use the East Coast Highway (Jalan Lintas Timur) after passing Palembang.

Similarly, the stretch from Pekanbaru to Tebing Tinggi has yet to be constructed, meaning motorists must rely on national roads after passing through the Pekanbaru-Dumai Toll Road. Furthermore, in Aceh, the toll road from Medan is not yet fully connected and currently ends at Langsa.

PT Hutama Karya (Persero), acting as both the contractor and the manager of the JTTS, revealed that approximately 1,618 km of the toll road has yet to be built. The plan to connect the JTTS across a total length of 2,800 km requires high precision. Additionally, frequent obstacles in land acquisition mean that the JTTS project will still take considerable time to be fully connected from Lampung to Aceh.