The land acquisition for the Surabaya-Mojokerto (Sumo) toll road is targeted to be completed within the next three months. Director General (Dirjen) of Bina Marga Hediyanto W. Husaini said, of the total 280.26 ha that had to be acquired for the construction of the Sumo toll road, to date 87 percent of them have been successfully released.

Hediyanto said this after following the inauguration of the Surabaya-Mojokerto Toll Road Section IV (Kriyan-Mojokerto) conducted by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo and Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono in Mojokerto, East Java Saturday (3/18).

"Only 13 percent left, can be completed in three months. We will borrow Jasa Marga's money for land acquisition. The nominal is around IDR 300 billion, "said Hediyanto.

The Sumo Toll Road, which has a length of 36.27 Km, requires the acquisition of land worth Rp556 billion. The Director General of Highways said that if the land acquisition aspect was completed in three months, the Sumo toll road would be fully operational next year. Sumo toll land acquisition was carried out on three regencies namely Sidoarjo, Gresik and Mojokerto and one city namely Surabaya.

In addition to section IV, the 18.5 Km Kriyan-Mojokerto toll road that has been inaugurated and is operating, another part of the Sumo toll road that has operated is the IA section, Waru-Sepanjang (2.3 Km) since August 2011.

Based on data from the Directorate General of Highways, so far Section II, WRR-Driyorejo (5.1 Km) and Section III, Driyorejo (6.1 Km), progress of land acquisition respectively 67.75 percent and 76.72 percent.

As for the IB section, Sepanjang-WRR (4.3 Km), according to Hediyanto, the highest progress. Land acquisition was 94.91 percent and construction reached 62.85 percent. The government granted 42 years of concessions to PT Marga Nujyasumo Agung (MNA) as the Sumo Toll Road Business Entity (BUJT).

Speaking about the inauguration of the Kriyan-Mojokerto section, Hediyanto said, the section was built because the existing national roads were unable to take the burden of passing industrial trucks which caused traffic congestion, so road users became uncomfortable, especially those leading to Tanjung Perak and Gresik direction .

"With this toll road, especially if the Surabaya-Mojokerto toll road is fully operational, the economy can improve, because it will reduce transportation costs," he continued. (KompuBM)