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Key W. Sumatra-Riau road damaged
The main road connecting West Sumatra and Riau was blocked by a landslide early on Tuesday, disrupting traffic
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he main road connecting West Sumatra and Riau was blocked by a landslide early on Tuesday, disrupting traffic.
The landslide occurred in Tanjung Pauh village, Pangkalan Koto Baru district, Lima Puluh Kota regency, in West Sumatra, 5 kilometers from the border with Riau.
A 60-meter stretch of road was severely damaged in the landslide.
Lima Puluh Kota Police chief Sr. Comr. Tri Wahyudi said the landslide took place at around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
As the road was totally impassable, vehicles were backed up for 10 km in both directions moments after the incident occurred.
West Sumatra Transportation, Communication and Informatics Office head Amran said a team from the local National Road Implementation Center from Padang had been dispatched to the location.
'The team has arrived at the location together with heavy machinery for temporary roadwork. If possible, it will be completed in a day, but after seeing the severe damage, it might take two days,' Amran told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
The temporary restoration will only cater for small cars. The road will be fully restored over a longer period of time so trucks can pass as normal.
'We have requested the center to handle the repairs quickly so the road can again be passable for trucks,' explained Amran.
For the time being, added Amran, the route would be diverted to Kiliran Jao in Sijunjung regency, through Rengat.
The severed route has caused considerable disturbances to the economies of both provinces. West Sumatra is the main supplier of cement, vegetables, eggs and freshwater fish to Riau.
'The supply of cement from PT Semen Padang has been stopped for the past two days, while the delivery of foodstuff will be delayed and transportation costs will be higher. The prices of foodstuff will surge in Riau and Batam,' he said.
Based on data from a weighing station, added Amran, each day 600 trucks passed the route, with up to 30 of them hauling cement and 100 of them carrying food.
Hundreds of thousands of eggs are sent from Payakumbuh and tons of freshwater fish are sent from Maninjau and Pasaman.
'Residents from both provinces will definitely be disadvantaged, as vegetables can wither if they are carried for seven hours via Kiliran Jao,' said Amran.
