Jakarta (ANTARA) - National roads connecting the Lombok International Airport (BIL) and the Mandalika National Tourism Strategic Area (KSPN) are in excellent condition, the Directorate General of Highways (Bina Marga) under the Public Work and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has said.
"Two tracks of the national roads -- the 5.03-km Tanak Awu-Sengkol route and the 10.79-km Sengkol-Kuta route -- have been built with standard width. They are in excellent condition," director general of Bina Marga, Hedy Rahadian, informed ANTARA here on Friday.
The roads will have 11 overpasses, two bridges, three pedestrian bridges, median strips, and sidewalks to ease the flow of traffic flow, he said. Construction of four tracks in the final section of the Sengkol-Kuta route is partially completed, he added.
Bina Marga has said the BIL-Mandalika KSPN bypass road will be completed by September, 2021, in accordance with PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono's instructions.
The 50-m wide road is expected to cut traveling time from the international airport to the tourism area by 15 minutes, Rahadian said.
The existing 7-meter wide detour road stretches for 23 km and takes about 30 minutes to cover, which is considered inadequate, Rahadian explained.
A total of Rp814 billion has been spent from the 2020-2021 state budget (APBN) on the construction of the road, he informed.
"In order to recover the tourism sector that has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the PUPR Ministry will keep on accelerating infrastructure establishment to support the development of High Prioritized Tourism Destinations (DPSPs), including the Mandalika KSPN in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara," he said.
The established infrastructure comprises connectivity roads, water resources, human settlements, and housing complexes, he added.
The construction activities in the five DPSPs -- Borobudur Temple, Labuan Bajo, Manado-Likupang, Mandalika, and Toba Lake -- are being carried out in compliance with the health protocols for curbing COVID-19 transmission, the director general said.