Minister Basuki Hadimuljono on Sunday said the government aimed to expedite the toll road bidding process to push down logistics costs, improve connectivity and provide employment opportunities in the country.

“We believe that only through improved connectivity can we increase investment on the ground and create more jobs in the future,” he said in a statement.

The proposed toll roads include the 39.2-km-long Kamal-Teluk Naga-Rajeg toll road in Banten, worth around Rp 18.5 trillion, and the 37.7 km access toll road for Japan-backed Patimban Seaport in West Java, with an estimated investment of Rp 6.36 trillion.

Other listed toll road projects up for bidding are the Cikunir-Ulujami elevated toll road section in Jakarta, stretching for 21.5 km, as well as Bali’s 95.5 km Gilimanuk-Mengwi toll road worth Rp 19.7 trillion. Other toll roads include the Semanan-Balaraja toll road in Banten, worth around Rp 15.5 trillion.

The nine projects are among 158 ongoing infrastructure projects that are funded through the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, worth around Rp 1.3 quadrillion, which are currently in either the transaction, preparation or planning process according to the ministry’s document.

The government has long made efforts to reduce the stubbornly high logistics costs in the country and reduce price disparities among the country’s many islands. The country’s logistic costs stand at 23.5 percent of the country’s GDP, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said in September.

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