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Toll road construction sped up to accommodate Idul Fitri travelers
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In progress: Beni Dwi Septiadi (right), the Semarang-Batang toll road project leader of state toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, oversees Semarang-Batang toll road construction activities on May 23. The toll road is 83.59 percent complete.
(JP/Suherdjoko)
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onstruction projects of two Central Java toll roads—the Pemalang-Batang and Batang-Grising toll roads—have been sped up to accommodate Idul Fitri homebound travelers.
A predicted eight million travelers will enter the province to celebrate Idul Fitri in their hometowns next month.
State toll road operator PT Jasa Marga said a 36.3 kilometer-long toll road connecting Batang and Grising was being constructed with a lean concrete (LC) layer 10 centimeters thick and seven meters wide.
“That’s why only light vehicles are allowed to use this toll road. It will be operated one way. For homebound travel, the toll road will only serve vehicles traveling from cities in the western part of the island to eastern areas. During the counter exodus, it will only serve vehicles bound for Jakarta and its surrounding areas from Central and East Java,” said Saut Simatupang, Jasa Marga president director for Semarang and Batang, recently.
(Read also: C. Java to see 30% jump in Idul Fitri homebound travelers)
“The LC construction is to accommodate Idul Fitri travelers. It is being built to ensure smooth holiday travel. This toll road is temporary and has not yet been connected to Semarang because several land acquisition problems have not yet been resolved,” Saut said.
Construction of the Semarang-Batang toll road is 83.59 percent complete.
This year during Idul Fitri, the number of homebound travelers entering Central Java from Jakarta and its surrounding areas is expected to reach 8.14 million. “It’s far higher than last year’s [number of] travelers, amounting to 6.28 million people only,” said Central Java regional secretary Sri Puryono. (ebf)
