Jakarta. State-owned construction firm PTPP recently announced that it would speed up the construction of its toll road expansion ahead of the upcoming year-end holidays.

According to a press statement, the company is currently making the third expansion of the Cikopo-Palimanan tollway (Cikopo-Subang section). This contract -- which is worth Rp 314.39 billion (approximately $19.8 million) -- is originally scheduled for completion on Dec. 31, 2024. As many Indonesians will go on holiday during that time, PTPP seeks to finish the expansion by Dec. 17 or around two weeks earlier. PTPP reported that the project had reached 84.33 percent completion.

PTPP's subsidiary PP Sinergi Banjaratma is also currently working on the KM 260B Heritage rest area which lies in Brebes, particularly the Pemalang-Pejagan tollway. This rest area, which sits on 10.6-hectare land, can accommodate 2,700 vehicles and hundreds of tenants, most of whom are micro, small and medium enterprises. Work is underway to add more facilities such as CCTVs, rest posts, places of worship, children's playgrounds, and bathrooms.

PTPP-affiliated company IFPRO also has some plans for the hotel and shopping centers it operates: Meurorah Hotel, Plaza Marina Labuan Bajo, Anjungan Agung Mall in Bakauheni, and Sosoro Mall in Merak. These malls will hold live music performances and culinary festivals on the holidays. Anjungan Agung Mall and Sosoro Mall are both integrated into the port. These two shopping centers will offer shopping vouchers for the ferry passengers. There will also be boxing machines and dart games to enliven the holidays.

"We will continue to prioritize the quality of our tollway projects. We will also optimize the facilities and services in our rest areas, malls, and hotels with special events for the Christmas and New Year's Eve holidays," PTPP's president director Novel Arsyad was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

"We are doing this so that people can travel safely and comfortably," Novel said.