Jakarta – The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) continues the completion of the 1,098 km border road near Indonesia-Papua New Guinea (PNG) border spanning from Merauke to Jayapura. It is part of the President Jokowi instructions to develop and open access to isolated areas and improve life of the communities.

“The development of the border area is needed by the border community to create new economic growths in the border region,” said PUPR Minister, Basuki Hadimuljono.

One of the border road sections that is currently under construction is the Oksibil-Towe Hitam – Ubrup – Jayapura Road (5.52 km). The construction starts from KM 15.5 to KM 21.2 in Pegunungan Bintang District. The main challenge in border road development in Papua is its natural conditions which are still covered by tropical forests, mountains and extreme weather. Also the availability of construction materials which still is limited in Papua.

“This work is carried out in few stages considering the terrain that makes it hard to access, we have to cross steep mountains and forests which make it difficult for construction workers to mobilize the tools,” said Minister Basuki.

The current stage is carried out by the contractor PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) using state budget amounting Rp 108.5 billion. The construction will take 376 days since the beginning of 2018.

Although it is still a dirt road, this new road provides tangible benefits to the border community in Papua. The travel time between the regional economic center which was originally in the number of weeks by foot, is shorten to days because now the vehicles can cross. If the road conditions gets better, then the travel time will be shortened to hours.

Meanwhile, the 111 km road constructed from Sota – Erambu – Bupul is fully paved. Furthermore, the 38 km Bupul-Muting section and the 195 km Muting-Boven Digoel section also have been paved so vehicles can easily pass. Of the total 1,098 km border road from Merauke – Jayapura, by the end of 2018, 919 km have been connected. (*)

Source:
Public Communication Bureau
Ministry of PUPR