Labuan Bajo (BINA MARGA) Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono, Thursday (29/4) arrived in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, NTT to review the readiness of the PU infrastructure ahead of the international event of the Tour De Flores on 16-26 May 2016. The Minister of PUPR will be in Flores for 3 days and accompanied by the Director of Road Development, Ahmad Ghani Gazali, and the Head of the VIII National Road Executing Center, Saeful.

"We want to directly monitor the readiness of tourism support infrastructure in Labuan Bajo because this area has become one of the national priority destinations in 2016, we want to make sure whether the clean water is there, the toilet is there or not," said Basuki.

In addition to monitoring the readiness of tourism facilities in the Flores area, Basuki also monitored the condition of the Trans Flores road that will be passed by participants of the Tour de Flores in May. Because hundreds of cyclists will ride from Larantuka to Labuan Bajo (cross Flores) which is divided into five stages along 661.5 km.

The stages are larantuka-maumere (138.8km), Maumere - Ende (141.3 km), Ende - Bajawa (123.3 km), Bajawa - Ruteng (136.6 km), and Ruteng - Labuan Bajo (121.5 km). The route to be passed is what is commonly known as Trans Flores.

"We also want to monitor the Trans Flores road, which will soon have a Tour de Flores, road conditions must also be considered," he said.

Starting from the Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo, land travels are taken to the Lembong area along approximately 60 km. According to direct observation there are indeed several points that require asphalting to clean up the landslide material as happened in sta 367 + 500, in the Melo area of the Labuan Bajo - Ruteng section. The winding and uphill road conditions indeed make some locations in Trans Flores prone to landslides.

Basuki said, in the short term, he had instructed anticipatory measures in the event of a landslide such as preparing heavy equipment and water tanks to clean dust material on the road and landslides. "But in the long run, if we talk about cliffs, we have conducted surveys and designs," said Basuki.

Based on field monitoring, in addition to landslides, along the Trans Flores route still found asphalt-peeling at some points, the shoulder of the road overgrown with grass, missing road markings, directional stakes & road signs. In fact, according to data received from the PPK 12 sections of the Gako-Ende city boundary, there is the work of the Ae Pika bridge at Km 78 + 880. The related PPK will improve the condition of alternative roads so that they are fit for the road and make road signs. Even the latest data says that the alternative roads are already aggregated and ready to be paved.

Considering that the time for the implementation of the Tour de Flores is getting closer, Basuki said he had agreed on the H-7 Tour de Flores route is comfortable to pass. "I think it is still two weeks away, we will finish the H-7 promise. Later we will check through the Director and the Head of the Hall," said Basuki, optimistic.

On the same occasion, director of road construction at the Directorate General of Highways, Ahmad Ghani Ghazali said that in Trans Flores there was work packages with a long segment package system. Furthermore, Ghani explained that in this package the implementation of widening and maintenance was carried out under one contract. "So that's what we are now pushing so that maintenance work (asphalting) is carried out first related to this Tour de Flores," said Ghani (Ian)