Trans-Papua Highway in Indonesia continues its road development as it begins construction on the Jayapura-Wamena segment this 2024. The road development, estimated at $228 million is a continuous progress on the highway which began construction work in 2013.
An Overview of the Trans-Papua Highway in Indonesia
The Trans-Papua Highway has twelve road segments built across Western New Guinea in Indonesia. The highway is 4,325-kilometer long and stretches from Sorong to Merauke. Construction work on the road development began in 2013 and was predicted to be finished by 2018 but suffered massive delays.
The Trans-Papua highway has four road segments in West Papua and Southwest Papua, while the remaining 8 segments are in Central, Highland, South Papua, and Papua. While most of the segments are already operational, other segments remain under construction.
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Construction work on the Jayapura-Wamena Segment begins this 2024
In July 2024, the 50-kilometer Jayapura to Wamena segment of the Trans-Papua highway began construction work.
The contract, specifically for the Mamberamo-Elelim road, was awarded to PT Hutama Karya (HK) by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR).
A consortium between PT Hutama Karya and PT Hutama Karya Infrastruktur (HKI) is developing the $228 million road project under a PPP scheme.
HKI, which holds 45 percent of the share, will handle planning, development, design, construction, and project completion. Meanwhile, HK, who holds a 55 percent share, will provide financing, operation, and maintenance of the road project. The company will also handle the transfer of the project ownership to the government after 15 years.
The scope of the work also includes road and bridge construction, repairs, and weighing facilities for the 50-kilometer Jayapura-Wamena segment.
According to the Executive Vice President of HK Adjib Al Hakim, the project will have a construction period of 2 years and a maintenance period of 13 years.
“This is a significant step in infrastructure in Papua and will positively impact the region.”
Ongoing road developments in the West Papua’s Segment I and II
Two segments of the West Papua section of the Trans-Papua highway are still ongoing road developments.
Segment I, which spans 547 kilometers, has 10.7 kilometers of dirt road left to build. Meanwhile, Segment II, which spans 525 kilometers, has 109 kilometers of dirt road left to build.
West Papua National Road Management Agency Head Mauluddin Said Latar hopes that the remaining section of Segment I will be completed by 2024. While still incomplete, Mauluddin stated that in 2017 travel time was more than 36 hours, which has since been reduced to less than 13 hours as of 2023.
Bridges, both permanent and semi-permanent, were also constructed. The semi-permanent bridges, spanning 92 meters and made out of wood, will also be replaced and made permanent.
A Road Development That Will Drastically Change Papua Indonesia
The Trans-Papua road will open access to different isolated areas in the Papua region. This project will provide access and connectivity to the Papuans, but may also influence illegal activities such as illegal logging, and tribal conflicts.
While risky, the strong economic benefit of road development in Papua remains unmatched. Road development will lead to better distribution of goods and services thus hastening the development in West Papua Indonesia.
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