The Indonesian island of Sumatra is the second largest of the Greater Sunda Islands, in the Malay Archipelago, and the sixth largest island in the world.
Sumatra is known for its rugged tropical terrain, numerous active volcanoes, secluded beaches and abundant natural wealth.
The island produces nearly a quarter of the country's GDP, but getting around there isn't exactly straightforward.
Due to the island's unique terrain, it has a small and largely disconnected road system.
New ambitious plans are looking to integrate the already existing roads into a staggering long trans-island network.
The Trans-Sumatra Toll Road is a new motorway that will run from the northern tip of Banda Aceh to the southern end of Lampung.
The Indonesian government began devising plans in 2015 to connect the 17,508 islands that make up the massive country.
This is fundamental if the government is to stimulate industrial growth, and connect people to jobs, services and markets while reducing logistical costs.
Amy Widyastuti, BIM Manager at Indonesia's state construction company Hutama Karya said “The initial plan for the Trans Sumatera Toll Road was to reduce the logistic cost and travel time across the island. The government wanted this to boost the economic growth of the island.”
The plan is extensive. The road will stretch 2,998 km and cost an estimated £2.59 billion.
It was also estimated for a decade-long construction period. Hutama Karya took on the contract and work began in 2015.
Last September, Jakarta, ID – PT Hutama Karya announced that so far they had constructed 1,235 km of the railway, including the construction-support toll road.
Out of the completed length, 435km are under construction and 800km are in operation.
On the 9th September 2024, the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, inaugurated four sections of the Sigli-Banda Aceh segment, covering a total of 35km.
Out of the four established sections, many facilities have been designed to provide comfort and safety for its users.
The facilities include five toll gates, with a total of 22 booths and two type A rest areas, that provide petrol stations and 24-hour patrol and ambulance services.
Hutama Karya Executive Vice President (EVP) Adjib Al Hakim stated that sections 2,3,5 and 6 of the Sigil-Banda Aceh toll have been operating in stages over a span of three years from 2021 to 2023.
On the 10th September 2024, President Widodo commenced two more segments that would be a part of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road section 2, of the Binjai-Langsa toll segment, spanning 26.2km, and sections 3-4 of the Kuala Tanjung-Tebing Tinggi-Parapat toll segment, which span 45.6 km.
The segment sees approximately 3,500 vehicles a day.
“The collaboration of the Hutama Karya Group in this toll road construction is proof of the company's commitment to contributing to inclusive national development,” Adjib added.
By October 2024 more than 40% of all the roads were completed, with remaining segments planned to be completed by 2025, with a remaining 300 km of the road being worked on in 2026.