Infrastructure Development in Indonesia: 4 Toll Road Examples
Four toll roads show infrastructure development in Indonesia under MP3EI: Bali Mandara, Suramadu, Balikpapan-Samarinda and Cipularang, plus PT SMI.
MP3EI (the Masterplan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia's Economic Development) is the strategic guide for the 2011 to 2025 period of infrastructure development in Indonesia. One way the country supports MP3EI is by building toll roads in every region. Here are a few examples.
Examples of Adequate Road Infrastructure in Indonesia
1. Bali Mandara Toll Road
Construction of the 12.7-kilometer Bali Mandara Toll Road began in June 2012 and finished in August 2013. That is a short timeline, and it makes this the fastest toll road project in the history of toll road construction in Indonesia. Along with its positive effects, this remarkable achievement unfortunately had a negative side too.
On the positive side, it marked the start of sustainable development in the tourism sector. Construction employed up to 3,000 workers, and the road now cuts congested travel time of 1 to 2 hours down to just 15 minutes. On the negative side, Bali Mandara tolls are relatively high because the investment did not come from the state budget (APBN) alone.
2. Suramadu Toll Road
The next example of infrastructure development in Indonesia that supports MP3EI is the Suramadu Toll Road. The bridge crosses the Madura Strait and links Madura Island and Java Island over 5,438 meters, making it the longest bridge in Indonesia today.
The bridge was built to speed up development on Madura Island, which at the time lagged behind other parts of East Java Province. The government hoped the bridge would spread income more evenly between the Surabaya area and Madura.
3. Balikpapan-Samarinda Toll Road
The Balikpapan-Samarinda Toll Road was inaugurated in August 2021 by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. The 99.02-kilometer toll road connects the city of Balikpapan with the city of Samarinda. The project began in 2011, when it was launched by the Governor of East Kalimantan at the time, Awang Faroek Ishak.
The project was divided into several phases. Phase I was carried out with East Kalimantan provincial budget (APBD) funds for fiscal years 2011 to 2013. Phase II was carried out with APBD funds for fiscal years 2015 to 2018 and was split into 5 segments. Several of those segments were offered to interested investors from both within Indonesia and abroad.
4. Cipularang Toll Road
Another toll road that is an example of infrastructure development in Indonesia in support of MP3EI is the Cipularang Toll Road (Cikampek-Purwakarta-Padalarang). The toll road connecting Jakarta and Bandung was completed in late April 2005. Its positive effects include smoother transport flows and growth in the local economy.
Roads are the main form of land transport in a region's infrastructure development, so it is no surprise that the toll roads above were built to support MP3EI. The government has even assigned PT SMI (Sarana Multi Infrastruktur) to help finance a range of infrastructure projects. You can see its financing products directly at ptsmi.co.id.
