The Sensation of 12 Hours of Homecoming from Jakarta to Surabaya Across the Trans-Java Toll Road

Toll roads are predicted to still be the favorite for travelers using private cars. Faster travel time and smoother road conditions compared to arterial roads are the considerations of most travelers to choose toll roads as their main choice. Moreover, the Trans-Java toll road has stretched more than 1,000 kilometers from Merak, Banten, to Probolinggo, East Java.

Data from the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) noted that there has been an increase in homecoming vehicles leaving Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) via toll roads in the last two years. A total of 1.79 vehicles left Jabodetabek in 2023 and increased to 1.98 million units in 2024. As for the 2025 Eid homecoming, the Ministry of Transportation predicts that the number of vehicles leaving Jabodetabek via toll roads will reach 2 million units.

On Wednesday (12/3/2025) or about two weeks before the 2025 Eid homecoming flow, the Kompas Team traveled from Jakarta to Surabaya. We passed the Trans-Java toll road from Jakarta-Surabaya which stretches almost 800 kilometers. So, what is the condition of the toll road that will be crossed by the vehicles of millions of homecoming travelers?

The Kompas team started driving from the Kompas Tower located on Jalan Palmerah Selatan, Central Jakarta, at around 10:30 WIB. The vehicle we used, a Toyota Kijang Innova Zenix Hybrid, carried four passengers and the team members' belongings.

We entered from the Pejompongan Toll Gate towards the Inner City Toll Road. The condition of the toll road located in the heart of the nation's capital city tends to be smooth, making the trip quite comfortable. Cars can also travel at speeds of 80-100 kilometers per hour due to the smooth traffic flow.

The journey then continues to the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road. Entering the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed (MBZ) Flyover, the road starts to get bumpy when crossing the bridge body joint or expansion joint. In this situation, drivers should maintain speed so that the vehicle's suspension keeps passengers comfortable.

After leaving the MBZ Flyover, we took a short break at the Km 57A rest area of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road. This rest area is the first place after drivers get off the MBZ Flyover and is often one of the favorite rest areas for travelers.

At this rest area, travelers can rest and fill their stomachs for those who are not fasting. There are various foods, ranging from fast food, traditional food, to coffee. After about an hour of rest, we continued our journey.

Entering the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) Toll Road, vehicles must slow down because at several points there are still repairs and improvements to the quality of the road. Workers were seen repairing one side of the lane, including at Km 124 and Km 126.

Travelers do not need to worry about the narrowing of the lane because the toll management provides signs of road repair work. Some workers even give signs to passers-by by waving red flags so that drivers are more careful.

After passing through several locations on the Cipali Toll Road that were repaired, the car we were driving could go full throttle again. The toll road starting from the Cipali Toll Road, Palimanan-Kanci Toll Road, Kanci-Pejagan Toll Road, Pejagan-Pemalang Toll Road, Pemalang-Batang Toll Road, to the Semarang-Batang Toll Road was relatively smooth.

The vehicle we were riding in drove smoothly so that we could optimize our travel time. At around 16:30 WIB, we stopped at the Km 379A rest area of the Semarang-Batang Toll Road. On this occasion, we changed drivers because we had been driving for more than 4 hours.

Arriving at the Salatiga Km 456A rest area at around 18:30 WIB, we stopped again. Some of the passengers who were fasting hunted for takjil at the rest area connected between the two sides. After filling our stomachs, we continued our journey.

The smooth condition of the toll road made our trip feel comfortable even though we had to drive at night. At around 20:30 WIB, it was our vehicle's turn to "drink" at the Km 519A Sragen rest area. The fuel needle was at 50 percent after traveling around 545 kilometers.

The journey continued from Sragen to our final destination in Surabaya. Several times we had to brave the rain in some areas in East Java. However, the smooth condition of the toll road and adequate lighting made the journey safe.

Without realizing it, the journey had already taken about 12 hours. Finally, we arrived in Surabaya at 23.00 WIB safely.

Astra Infra Group Chief Executive Officer, Firman Yosafat Siregar, through a written statement, said that his party is committed to providing a safe and comfortable journey for 2.3 million vehicles predicted to pass during the 2025 Eid period.

Several preparations have also been made to maintain the safety and security of toll road users, especially in extreme weather conditions. Some of the things that have been done include cleaning water channels to prevent flooding, strengthening several slope points to prevent landslides, and testing the reflectivity of signs, markings, and toll road reflectors to ensure driving safety.

"We are ready to face the increase in traffic flow during this year's Eid period through various efforts to improve the quality and capacity of Astra Infra toll services," he said.

Senior Manager Representative Office 1 PT Jasamarga Transjawa Tol Amri Sanusi added that there are a number of road repairs on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road. One of them is road reconstruction at Km 49+110 to Km 49+179 towards Cikampek in lane 1. Repairs are carried out from Saturday-Thursday (15-21/3/2025) every 09.00 to 24.00 WIB.

As a form of mitigation, PT Jasamarga Transjawa Tol has prepared procedures, including diverting affected traffic before the work area and narrowing the work area. The party also prepared a contraflow if traffic conditions were dense, and coordinated with the Highway Patrol Police (PJR) in traffic management.

Although up to two weeks before Eid there are still a number of locations on the toll road being repaired, the Ministry of Transportation has given a deadline to the managers. The Ministry of Transportation has asked for construction project work around the road benefit space to be temporarily stopped starting Monday (3/24/2025) to Monday (4/14/2025).

Secretary General of the Indonesian Toll Road Association Kris Ade Sudiyono said, related to the readiness of the Indonesian Toll Road Association to face the flow of homecoming and return of Eid will be released this week. However, in essence, it is ready to accompany travelers to celebrate Eid.

In addition to the readiness of the toll road infrastructure, his party also continues to cooperate with other stakeholders. The cooperation is related to managing traffic engineering during the Lebaran holiday period. "Hopefully the flow of Lebaran homecoming and return will run smoothly, comfortably, and safely," said Kris.