The government through Asta Cita continues to strive to improve connectivity, reduce logistics costs and encourage Indonesia's economic growth. One of the steps taken to realize this mission is through the construction of the Serang Panimbang Toll Road which is currently being built by PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk (WIKA). The Serang Panimbang Toll Road has a length of 83.67 km and connects Serang as the capital city of Banten Province with Panimbang District which is the main access to the Tanjung Lesung Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The construction of the Serang Panimbang Toll Road consists of three sections, namely Section 1 Serang-Rangkasbitung along 26.5 km which has been operating since December 2021, Section 2 Rangkasbitung-Cileles along 24.1 km which is currently under construction and is targeted to operate in March 2025, and Section 3 Cileles-Panimbang along 33 km which is divided into two sub-sections, namely Section 3A Cileles-Bojong along 17.46 km and Section 3B Bojong-Panimbang along 15.54 km which are also under construction and are targeted to operate in September and December 2025.
The Serang Panimbang Toll Road is an infrastructure designed to reduce travel time from Jabodetabek to South-Central Banten from 3-4 hours to 1-2 hours. The construction of the Serang Panimbang Toll Road will open access to isolated areas, create new economic opportunities, and improve supply chain efficiency. In addition, this toll road is also expected to accelerate economic growth in the Central Banten to South Banten region and reduce economic disparities with North Banten, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of the Banten region with surrounding provinces.
In the long term, the construction of the Serang Panimbang Toll Road is projected to significantly reduce logistics costs. Based on an economic feasibility study conducted by the Ministry of PUPR in 2016, the Serang Panimbang Toll Road will be able to reduce Vehicle Operating Costs (BOK) by 30% and reduce travel time for goods transportation by 50%. Thus the delivery of goods from Jabodetabek to South-Central Banten will become more efficient, both in terms of time and cost.
To ensure the smooth development and good quality of toll roads, various steps continue to be taken by WIKA. Starting from toll planning and design which is carried out optimally by considering safety factors and utilizing risk-based thinking principles to identify and mitigate potential risks that can arise. Construction quality control is also carried out strictly, following high quality management standards, and using advanced construction technology both Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Lean Construction.
“The construction of the Serang Panimbang Toll Road is not only about speeding up travel time and distribution of goods, but also about creating new economic opportunities and improving the efficiency of the logistics supply chain. This is in line with the Asta Cita which targets development from the region for economic equality and increases the nation's independence through infrastructure that supports connectivity and accessibility,” said WIKA President Director, Agung Budi Waskito.
In addition to the Serang Panimbang Toll Road, WIKA has also contributed to building various monumental infrastructures that play an important role in streamlining travel time and distance, reducing logistics costs, and Indonesia's economic growth. Among them are the Belawan Container Terminal and Pekanbaru Padang Toll Road in Sumatra, Kijing Terminal and Balikpapan Samarinda Toll Road in Kalimantan, Manado Bitung Toll Road and Makassar New Port Toll Access Road in Sulawesi, to the Construction of Container Docks and Sorong Port Reclamation and Oksibil Towe Road in Papua.