19 State Companies To Be Involved In Toll Road Project

Jakarta, Oct 3 (Antara) - Minister for State Enterprises Dahlan Iskan has asked 19 state companies to be involved in the construction of a new toll road extending between Jakarta and Surabaya and to be built along the coast. Java already has toll road Trans Java being built between the two largest cities of the country. "First we would ask the 19 state companies to carry out feasibility study expected to be wrapped up in six months," Dahlan said here on Thursday. The 19 companies include state toll road developer and operator PT Jasa Marga and a number of construction companies, cement producer PT Semen Indonesia, steel maker PT Krakatau Steel and a number of state banks. Dahlan said he could not yet give details about the project including the investment as it is still in the early process of study. He described the project as urgent. Now want to carry out study first and then we will ask for approval from regional administrations and the central government, he said. He said the main difficulty to be faced in the implementation of the project is land clearing . However, he said he is optimistic the difficulties could be sorted out . The toll road project is aimed at reducing congestion in Java`s highways and to facilitate economic development, he said. Meanwhile, president of state toll road developer and operator PT Jasa Marga Adityawarman said if the feasibility study could be comp0leted as expected and the license is available construction of the Jakarta-Surabaya toll road could be completed in 3 years. "This should be put in high priority to cope with congestion in Java . Just imagine the level of congestion if the project is postponed too long," Adityawarman said. He said the country`s economic development continue as reflected by the fast growing traffic itself. New road infrastructure has to be built to keep pace with the growing traffic, he added.