Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) took the opportunity to check the Trans-Papua road development project during his visit to the eastern region on Friday.

The deputy for protocol, press and media of the Presidential Secretariat, Bey Machmudin, said in a release that the section he checked was on Kilometer 23 between Merauke and Sota in the district of Merauke.

"I want to personally check the situation in the field, as according to reports I received, much of the section from Merauke to Boven Digoel is muddy," he said.

The Merauke-Boven Digoel section stretches 422 kilometers long, while the Merauke-Sota section is 78 kilometers long and only three kilometers of it is yet to be completed.

"This part is indeed special and needs special treatment. We hope by the end of the month it will be completed," he said.

On the other hand, the 21-km Sota-Boven Digoel section is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The 422-km Merauke-Boven Digoel can now be covered in eight hours, as against weeks before the development.

The Trans-Papua is expected to be able to cut time in the distribution of goods, logistics and the people`s movement.

"We hope the completion of the Trans-Papua would speed up the mobility of goods and people, as well as the distribution of logistics, and in turn, reduce the logistics and transportation cost. That is my idea," President Jokowi said.

President Jokowi was accompanied by public works minister Basuki Hadimuljono during the visit.


Reporting by Agus Salim
Editing by Yoseph Hariyadi