Understanding the Function of Highways and Its Various Classifications
The highway is the main road that connects one area to another.
Highways are wider, larger, paved with asphalt, and can be traversed in two opposing directions.
History of Highways in Indonesia
In Indonesia, the construction of highways is closely linked to the influence of the Dutch colonial era. Besides being used for military defense, highways also aimed to boost the economy in terms of transporting goods from one place to another.
Take, for example, the construction of the Daendels road that stretches along the island of Java, now known as the Pantura route (North Coast). This highway was built during the administration of Herman Willem Daendels, the 36th Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1808 to 1811.
During his tenure, he constructed the Anyer-Panarukan highway, which is 1,000 kilometers long, part of which became the Pantura route. Initially, the construction of this road aimed to be a monumental project, a military defense route, and an economic development project to transport coffee harvests from the interior of Priangan to the ports of Cirebon and Indramayu.
This road construction also shortened the travel time from Surabaya to Batavia, which originally took 40 days, to just seven days. The history of this road's construction is very "legendary" among the Javanese people. This is because the construction process involved indigenous people and many human rights violations occurred as they worked without appropriate compensation.
Some sections of the road were also built from existing routes, such as from Bogor to Bandung, passing through the Megamendung and Puncak mountainous areas. Ultimately, the construction of this road was completed in 1810, just two years after it began. At that time, the Dutch also built a railway project on the island of Java, as trains were considered more efficient in supporting government mobility than highways.
Apart from the colonial era, the Japanese also came. There were no highway construction projects as grand as the Daendels road project. Highway construction was very limited and not a priority. During the Japanese administration, the focus was on continuing the existing railway lines.
Highway Construction in the Independence Era
After independence, highway construction was officially under the responsibility of the Department of Public Works. The government at that time successfully built many road sections.
The first successful road construction project was a 40-meter wide road network connecting Kebayoran Baru City with Jakarta in 1955.
The construction project was designed with two large lanes for fast traffic and two regular lanes. In the middle, there are small parks 6 meters wide. This road is now known as Jalan Jenderal Sudirman-M.H Thamrin.
Entering the 1960s, highway construction was resumed to create a route connecting Cililitan-Tanjung Priok. This road was named Jakarta Bypass. The specifications of this road are considered more modern and wider than Sudirman-Thamrin.
During the New Order government led by President Suharto, Indonesia successfully built highways with a toll road concept after the construction of the Jagorawi road connecting Jakarta-Bogor.
This route is considered exclusive as it is classified as a free-flowing route (without intersections or pedestrian crossings). Subsequently, the Jagorawi route was converted into a toll road.
The success of the Jagorawi route construction became a notable achievement for the Indonesian government, as several countries in ASEAN had not yet built roads as modern as the Jagorawi route.
A new chapter in highway construction in Indonesia began with the success of the Jagorawi route. This was followed by the construction of various toll roads in other regions.
As time progressed and human needs evolved, road construction in Indonesia underwent significant changes. Starting from paths that were once footpaths and dirt roads, it has now developed into wide roads paved with asphalt and concrete.
Functions of Highways
Highways are the main infrastructure supporting land transportation. In other words, highways can support various human activities and needs in terms of mobility to achieve economic and non-economic goals.
The function of highways as transportation infrastructure in economic activities is to equalize the economy with highways as connectors.
Other non-economic functions include serving as national integrity, infrastructure for cultural exchange, and supporting national resilience and defense.
Classification of Highways
Law Number 38 of 2004 states that roads can be divided into two types, namely based on type and function. The types of highways based on their function are arterial roads, local roads, collector roads, and environmental roads.
1. Arterial Roads
Arterial roads are public roads that can be used by transport vehicles. This is stated in Law Number 38 of 2004. The main characteristics of arterial roads are long travel distances, high vehicle speeds, and restrictions on the number of access points.
Arterial roads are divided into two, namely primary arterial roads and secondary arterial roads.
Primary arterial roads effectively connect national activities with regional activities. The minimum vehicle speed is 60 kilometers per hour. The minimum width of the road body is 11 meters. Traffic on primary arterial roads should not be disrupted by local traffic and activities, and should not be interrupted in urban areas.
Secondary arterial roads connect primary areas with first and second secondary areas. The minimum vehicle speed is 30 kilometers per hour. The minimum width of the road body is 11 meters. Fast traffic should not be disrupted by slow traffic.
2. Local Roads
According to Law Number 28 of 2004, local roads are public roads intended for local transport vehicles. Their main characteristics are short travel distances, low speeds, and restrictions on access points. Local roads are also divided into two, namely primary local roads and secondary local roads.
Primary local roads connect national activities with local activities. The minimum width of the road body is 7.5 meters. The road should not be interrupted in rural areas. The minimum vehicle speed is 20 kilometers per hour.
Meanwhile, secondary local roads connect first, second, and third secondary areas with residential areas. The minimum width of the road body is 7.5 meters. The minimum vehicle speed is 10 kilometers per hour.
3. Collector Roads.
According to Law Number 38 of 2004, collector roads are public roads intended for collecting or distributing transport vehicles. The main characteristics of collector roads are moderate travel distances, moderate vehicle speeds, and restrictions on access points.
Collector roads are also divided into two, namely primary collector roads and secondary collector roads.
Primary collector roads effectively connect national activities with regional activities.
The minimum vehicle speed is 40 kilometers per hour. The minimum width of the road body is 9 meters. Restrictions are applied to access points.
Meanwhile, secondary collector roads connect second secondary areas with second and third secondary areas. The minimum vehicle speed is 20 kilometers per hour. The minimum width of the road body is 9 meters. Fast traffic should not be disrupted by slow traffic.
4. Environmental Roads
Environmental roads are public roads intended for environmental transport vehicles. The main characteristics of these environmental roads are short travel distances and low speeds.
Environmental roads are also divided into two, namely primary environmental roads and secondary environmental roads.
Primary environmental roads connect activities in rural areas with the environment of rural areas. The minimum width of the road body for three-wheeled or more motor vehicles is 6.5 meters. The minimum vehicle speed is 15 kilometers per hour. Meanwhile, the minimum width of the road for non-motorized vehicles and those with less than three wheels is 3.5 meters.
