Social Impact Analysis of Trans-Sumatra Toll Road Development in

Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province

Basri, Badaruddin

, Heri Kusmanto

and Hatta Ridho

Doctoral Program of Development Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Political Science,

Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Prof. Dr. A. Sofyan No. 1 Kampus USU, Medan, Indonesia

Keywords: Toll Roads, Social Impact, Equitable Development

Abstract: One of the main visions of the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla government (2014-2019) is to achieve equitable

development between the Western Region and Eastern Region of Indonesia. This vision is realized through

various development programs, especially the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road along

approximately 2,704 km with an investment value of 538 trillion rupiah. There are 24 sections of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road, one of which intersects with Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province, namely the Dumai-

Pekan Baru toll road section with a length of 131 km. The purpose of this study was to analyze the social

impact of the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road in Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province. The

research method is qualitative with descriptive analysis. The results of this study are the increased accessibility

of the community to the opportunity to get a job, the integration of equitable development, the increase in the

Human Development Index (HDI) and the affordability of rural communities to urban areas.

1 INTRODUCTION

Development is a planned effort to improve the

welfare of the community, nation and state. The road

network is one of the factors supporting the success

of a development because the road plays a role in the

transfer of goods and people so that an adequate road

network is needed and prioritizes speed. Roads are

transportation infrastructure that connects one

particular place to another in a road network system.

Toll roads are public roads which are part of the road

network system and as national roads.

Its function is as an alternative road to overcome

traffic jams or to shorten the distance from one place

to another. The construction of the toll road will affect

the development of the region and the progress of

civilization. In its construction, the Trans Sumatra

Toll Road is planned to be built for approximately

2,704 km stretching along the island of Sumatra with

an investment value of 538 trillion rupiah and is

targeted to be fully operational in 2024 (Fakhurozi et

al., 2020 , p. 16; Nur, 2021).

The construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road

is planned as a way to overcome the social and

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9815-8783

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1370-7876

economic problems of the community. In addition,

the toll road is expected to facilitate the flow of people

and the flow of goods from one place to another.

However, this does not necessarily solve the problem

in its entirety, both in terms of geography,

demographics, politics, and ecology.

The construction of toll roads can be used as an

indicator of a country's progress. Sumaryoto (2010)

explains that one indication of a country having a

developed economy, both macro and micro is the

availability of toll roads, because the existence of toll

roads is proof that the country is ready to compete in

today's global civilization, which demands ease and

speed in carrying out activities. (Sumaryoto, 2010, p.

161).

Toll roads are able to reduce congestion and

shorten the distance between regions (Siswanto et al.,

2019, p. 83). Toll roads promise a fast space for

movement, so as to facilitate the flow of

transportation and distribution of goods and services

(Fakhurozi et al., 2020, p. 21). The economic progress

is directly proportional to the level of community

welfare and social life.

144

Basri, ., Badaruddin, ., Kusmanto, H. and Ridho, H.

Social Impact Analysis of Trans-Sumatra Toll Road Development in Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province.

DOI: 10.5220/0011562800003460

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Social and Political Development (ICOSOP 2022) - Human Security and Agile Government, pages 144-149

ISBN: 978-989-758-618-7; ISSN: 2975-8300

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

The Trans Sumatra Toll Road is one of the priority

projects of the government of President Joko Widodo

and Jusuf Kalla (2014-2019), which has been under

construction since 2015 and is still running today. As

the second largest island in Indonesia with a

population of more than 55 million people, Sumatra

Island plays an important role in the national

economy. Referring to data from the Central Statistics

Agency in 2019 (in Avisena, 2020; Ibad et al., 2021,

p. 388) the island of Sumatra contributed 21.32% to

the national GDP or grew by 4.57% from the previous

year. The three most contributing regions on the

island of Sumatra are North Sumatra, Riau and South

Sumatra.

The Trans Sumatra Toll Road being built certainly

has a strategic goal for the government in the context

of development. The government hopes that with the

construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road, there

will be an acceleration of regional development on

the island of Sumatra. The construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road is one form of infrastructure

whose target is to provide progress and sustainability

of the local to national economy (Fakhurozi et al.,

2020, p. 17; Razif, 2019, p. 13), Infrastructure is very

vital for people's lives, both economic, social, and

administrative life, and was deliberately built to fulfill

certain functions that are absolutely needed

(Suprayitno & Aryani Soemitro, 2018, p. 1).

There are 24 sections of the Trans Sumatra Toll

Road, one of which intersects with Rokan Hulu

Regency, Riau Province, namely the Dumai-Pekan

Baru Toll Road section with a length of 131 km.

Rokan Hulu Regency is one of 12 cities and regencies

in Riau Province with a population of 679,665 people

with an increase in the Human Development Index

(HDI) from 67.02 in 2014 to 69.67 in 2021.

In addition, the existence of the Trans Sumatra toll

road is very vital in supporting the success of

development in Rokan Hulu Regency. Encouraging

an increase in the level of welfare as a result of the

improvement of Suggestions and Infrastructure as a

driving force for the turning of the wheels of trade and

industry which is the core of improving welfare.

This means that the construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road has socially created conditions for

the growth of a community that grows and develops

independently in Rokan Hulu Regency. This will

socially stimulate the community to develop

creativity as well as a rational and active attitude that

is not too dependent or dependent on things beyond

their ability or authority because of the positive

impact of the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll

Road. Not only that, the construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road indirectly helps the community to

be able to build and develop their social abilities and

potentials because there are many activities or jobs

that can be carried out efficiently and effectively. Of

course this is related to local government policies and

development programs from the national, provincial,

district, sub-district to villages and sub-districts that

are in direct social contact with the people of Rokan

Hulu Regency. So that automatically the social life of

the people of Rokan Hulu is able to grow and

streamline the participation (participation) of the

community as the key to the movement of the

community in every stage of development.

Community development certainly always strives

so that every problem can be solved by trying to

channel the aspirations of the community so that it

can foster trust and a spirit of building among the

community. This can be in the form of decreasing

crime rates in Rokan Hulu Regency, easier

accessibility of rural communities to urban areas, so

that social interactions that are built between one

community and another are more intense because

development has a positive social impact on the

community.

The spirit of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road

Development implemented by the village

government is certainly not oriented towards

economic gain, but rather to providing motivation and

appreciation for the emergence of initiative and

creativity of the community as a whole. The reason is

that this is tactical and effective for the people of

Rokan Hulu Regency, who are expected to be able to

take advantage of development and growth

opportunities as a result of the existence of the toll

road. In addition, the aspect of justice felt by the

people of Rokan Hulu Regency from the beginning

until the construction of the Sumatra Toll Road could

give positive results in the social aspect to strengthen

community relations which were previously

constrained by poor infrastructure. This paradigm is

wider in the scope of understanding of a leader in a

country consisting of 17,000 islands in the

archipelago where it is necessary to achieve equitable

development in Java and outside Java.

So that socially, the ability of the community to

follow aspirations in order to face the challenges

faced by the community concerned, namely in Rokan

Hulu Regency. That is why, the construction of the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road has more or less created

changes in the community itself as a social impact of

the ongoing development. Although the social

changes from one community to another in Rokan

Hulu Regency are not always the same or evenly

distributed because there are several understandings,

Social Impact Analysis of Trans-Sumatra Toll Road Development in Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province

145

cultures, information and experiences of each

individual community in it.

So that the social impact of the construction of the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road is basically not a single

factor in Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province. There

are many variables in looking at the social impacts of

the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road

which are related to economic, political, policy,

education and health issues after the development

project runs. The participation of the people of Rokan

Hulu Regency in the construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road is basically visible, starting from

planning it to know in terms of making decisions

about its implementation and even to monitoring and

assessing developments that have an impact on their

social life in the future. The extent to which the social

impact achieved in the construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road is a prerequisite for future-

oriented cultural values which are expected to

increase competitiveness, believe in one's own

abilities, be disciplined and be responsible for the

development itself. Therefore, the research entitled

"Analysis of the Social Impact of the Trans Sumatra

Toll Road Development in Rokan Hulu Regency,

Riau Province" aims to further explore the social

impact of the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll

Road in people's lives.

2 RESEARCH METHODS

This research is a qualitative research with a positivist

paradigm. Where researchers collect primary data

taken from related documents, roadmaps and

journals. Meanwhile, the secondary data for this

research were obtained by researchers from books

and media releases. Research data collection is also

carried out through a review process of documents or

reports related to the research focus. The author will

combine an empirical perspective in analyzing how

the Social Impact of Trans Sumatra Toll Road

Development in Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province

thoroughly and comprehensively.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Challenges of Trans Sumatra Toll

Road Development

In the process of implementing the construction of the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road which is related to the

Dumai-Pekan Baru Section, the most important thing

is that before the implementation of development

there must first be the availability of the most

principle component called land or land. However, in

land acquisition for development, it indirectly

changes land use from the previous one so that it has

the potential to have an influence on other areas of use

in the vicinity which have a positive impact, such as;

opening new public places, optimizing land use for

public interest development, and opening new

settlements.

In addition, the social impacts caused also have

the potential to become negative impacts such as;

environmental damage, reduced community

productive land and population density related to land

used for the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll

Road. Likewise, the need for land for the construction

of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road must be carried out

by taking into account all aspects to the benefit of

various parties.

The reason is that the main spirit of the

construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road is to

improve the economy of the area through which the

toll road passes in accordance with the aim of

increasing the competitiveness of the area traversed

by the toll road, which in this case is Rokan Hulu

Regency which is the area traversed by the Dumai-

Pekan Baru Toll Road. which is 131 km long. This

economic increase is expected to have a positive

social effect on people's lives in Rokan Hulu

Regency, but in the development process, it certainly

cannot be separated from any existing challenges.

Especially with regard to central matters that support

the implementation of toll road construction so that it

runs smoothly as expected.

In this regard, the issue of land acquisition for the

Dumai-Pekan Baru Toll Road had become a major

obstacle in the development of road infrastructure.

Land acquisition is a fundamental step in the

construction of toll roads. Where when starting the

Dumai-Pekan Baru Toll Road construction project,

land acquisition financing was spread across each

ministry/institution, so it was not running effectively

and efficiently. This relates to the amount of the

budget and the amount given to the community for

land acquisition. However, in the process of

constructing the Trans Sumatra Toll Road, especially

the Dumai-Pekan Baru Road section, it was

transferred to the State Asset Management Agency

(BLU LMAN) as the only agency that finances land

acquisition for National Strategic Projects so that

each land acquisition process becomes more well

coordinated and fast.

In addition to the challenges related to land

acquisition used for the Trans Sumatra Toll Road,

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

146

other issues related to the budget issue for the

project's procurement were initially pushed to be

carried out with various patterns such as Government

and Business Entity Cooperation (PPP). However,

along the way, the financing for the construction of

the Trans Sumatra Toll Road has relied on the State

Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) (kompas,

11/9/2021) This of course creates new problems in

the midst of the government's efforts in handling

Covid-19 in Indonesia. However, the government

anticipates it with a tax relaxation policy for the

smooth construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road.

3.2 Community Social Accessibility to

Integrated Development

One important part in achieving people's welfare is

related to community accessibility from one rural area

to an urban area. The Trans Sumatra Toll Road

infrastructure is paradigmatically the key to social

and economic development for the people of Rokan

Hulu Regency, Riau Province. Increasing the

accessibility of Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province

to production centers and field access is expected to

be able to reach distribution centers in other areas,

which is very important when viewed from the aspect

of affordability in a region. So that there are no more

isolated areas due to poor road infrastructure

(Adisasmita, 2012).

The relationship between the region and various

other areas in Rokan Hulu Regency, whether

considered as an advanced area in terms of

infrastructure or other hinterlands. This is where the

importance of Trans Sumatra Road infrastructure in

supporting social life, be it social relations,

affordability and cultural life. In improving

accessibility, which so far is still not maximized, the

construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road for the

Dumai-Pekan Baru road section is part of the

development of methods of a continuous process in

order to create connectivity between one region and

another. In addition, the development strategy of the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road which relies on partiality

and empowerment is understood as a transformation

process in the social, economic, cultural and political

relations of the community.

Structural changes with the construction of the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road are expected to present a

process that takes place scientifically as the subject of

community development efforts in Rokan Hulu

Regency itself. Regional accessibility is the ability or

condition of an area to be accessed by outside parties

either directly or indirectly. This accessibility consists

of the existing infrastructure (road network system)

along with the availability of facilities to carry out its

movement. One of the variables that can state the high

or low accessibility of an area in an area is to look at

the number of road network systems available in the

area (Nurhidayani, 2019).

Measurement of the accessibility of the social

impact of an area cannot be separated from the

availability of transportation facilities, namely the

road network, which of course will be further

developed along with the construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road for the Dumai-Pekan Baru Road

Section. For the measurement of the accessibility

index in an area, socially it will have an impact on the

number of road networks in an area with other areas

that are budgeted through the Rokan Hulu Regency

Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD)

or the Riau Province Regional Revenue and

Expenditure Budget (APBD).

This means that regional development as a social

impact of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road is an effort to

spur socio-economic development, reduce disparities

between regions and maintain environmental

sustainability in an area. This effort is needed because

each area on the Trans Sumatra Toll Road has

different social, cultural and geographical conditions,

so that regional development aims to optimize the

potential possessed by an area that intersects with the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road to be something that is

bound to happen.

The Trans Sumatra Toll Road is important in

enhancing social development in Rokan Hulu

Regency. Apart from automatically reducing the

crime rate on the road, it will also create a new social

culture related to social interaction. In addition, the

infrastructure aspect of the construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road will have an impact on the wider

sector related to communication that exists between

the community will be more intense because of its

affordability.

In addition, with the Trans Sumatra Toll Road,

locations that intersect with Rokan Hulu Regency will

develop rapidly as business areas, both industry,

trade, financial and banking services and so on. There

is a lot of evidence that shows that toll roads

contribute to advancing the regional economy and

busy business activities, opening up job opportunities

and increasing people's economic activities and even

social transactions because of the accessibility of the

construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road.

Social Impact Analysis of Trans-Sumatra Toll Road Development in Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province

147

3.3 Increased Human Development

Index (HDI)

The Human Development Index (HDI) is one

indicator to measure the level of physical and non-

physical quality of the population. Physical quality is

reflected in life expectancy, while non-physical

quality is reflected in the average length of time the

population attends school and literacy rates. (BPS,

2022) Human Development Index (HDI) as one of the

indicators of community welfare as a result of

development, whether from education, health, to

decreasing poverty rates due to increasing people's

purchasing power as a result of development.

Before the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll

Road, the Human Development Index (HDI) of

Rokan Hulu Regency was 67.02 in 2014 after the

construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road, the

Human Development Index (IPM) was 69.67 in 2021.

The increase in the Human Development Index

number (HDI) of Rokan Hulu Regency certainly does

not run mechanically or automatically, but there is an

impact from development that uses the State Revenue

and Expenditure Budget (APBN) which goes down

directly to Rokan Hulu Regency through the

construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road.

Improved community education in Rokan Hulu

Regency as a result of the construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road. Says with an increase in income

or wages earned. Where the construction of toll roads

will automatically open new jobs (Handoyo &

Setiawan, 2018). Where if wages reflect productivity

in Rokan Hulu Regency as a positive impact of the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road, the more people in Rokan

Hulu who have a high level of education and training

experience, the higher their productivity and the

result that the national economy will grow higher

(Pugh, Geoffrey, Fairburn, & John, 2009).

In addition to the impact of education on the

Human Development Index in Rokan Hulu Regency,

the health sector also has a role in increasing people's

income. The influence of public health in Rokan Hulu

Regency on income, including improving population

health will increase labor force participation in Rokan

Hulu Regency itself. Structural improvements in the

health sector as a result of the Trans Sumatra Toll

Road which creates affordability automatically can

also bring improvements in the level of education and

self-potential development which then affects

performance and improves the quality of public

services in Rokan Hulu Regency.

This means that the Trans Sumatra Toll Road has

a social and significant impact on increasing the

Human Development Index in Rokan Hulu Regency.

Likewise, in an effort to overcome the poverty level

in Rokan Hulu Regency, increasing the Human

Development Index (IPM) will have a significant

effect on reducing poverty and it is stated that there is

a causal relationship between the Human

Development Index (HDI) and poverty reduction in

Rokan Hulu Regency since the start of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road construction project in 2015 to

date.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The main spirit of the construction of the Trans

Sumatra Toll Road which was carried out during the

administrations of Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla (2014-

2019) and the Government of Joko Widodo-Maruf

Amin (2019-2024) was to achieve equitable

development between the Western Region and

Eastern Region of Indonesia. The construction of the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road with a length of

approximately 2,704 km with an investment value of

538 trillion rupiah is proof of the government's

commitment to the process of affordability between

one region and another. Riau Province is the Dumai-

Pekan Baru toll road with a length of 131 km.

The process of constructing the Trans Sumatra

Toll Road is certainly not free from challenges,

namely related to land acquisition and the financing

process. However, the social impact arising from the

construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road is even

greater because it affects the livelihood of many

people, especially in Rokan Hulu Regency.

The social impact concerns the issue of

community accessibility from one area to another in

Rokan Hulu Regency which is getting easier because

of its affordability. In addition, the construction of the

Trans Sumatra Toll Road, especially for the Dumai-

Pekan Baru section, has an impact on reducing the

number of crime and crime on the road. In addition,

the most important thing is of course the welfare of

the people of Rokan Hulu Regency, which is related

to the increase in the Human Development Index

(IPM) as measured by health, education and

purchasing power of the people of Rokan Hulu

Regency which is getting better than before.

REFERENCES

Adisasmita, S. A.. 2012. Perencanaan Infrastruktur

Transportasi Wilayah, Graha Ilmu. Yogyakarta.

Fadli, A.. 2021. “Ini Segudang Masalah Proyek Jalan Tol

Trans-Sumatera” [Kompas.com Saturday 11

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

148

September 2021 07.00 WIB], https://www.kompas.co

m/properti/read/2021/09/11/070000321/ini-segudang-

masalah-proyek-jalan-tol-trans-sumatera?page=al.

Fakhurozi, A., S, A. D. N., & Amanda, R. 2020. Kajian

Studi Dampak Pembangunan Jalan Tol Trans Sumatera

(JTTS) Terhadap Infrastuktur dan Lingkungan. Jurnal

Ilmiah Penalaran dan Penelitian Mahasiswa, Vol. 4(1),

pp. 14–29. http://jurnal.ukmpenelitianuny.org/index.ph

p/jippm/article/download/185/77/.

Handoyo, E., & Setiawan, A. B. 2018. Steer Vendors (PKL)

as The Survival Strategy of Poor Community. JEJAK:

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Kebijakan, Vol. 11(1), pp. 173-

188. https://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/jejak/arti

cle/view/12510/7609.

Nurhidayani, A. F., Osly, P. J., & Ihsani, I. 2019. Hubungan

Aksesibilitas Terhadap Tingkat Perkembangan

Wilayah Desa di Kecamatan Tambun Selatan

Kabupaten Bekasi. Jurnal Infrastruktur, Vol. 4(2), pp.

97-104. https://doi.org/10.35814/infrastruktur.v4i2.698

Pugh, Geoffrey, Fairburn, & John. 2009. Evaluating the

Effects of The M6 Toll Road on Industrial Land

Development and Employment. Regional Studies

SSOAR, Vol. 42(7), pp. 977-990.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00343400701654087.

Rohman, M., Doloi, H., & Heywood, C. 2017. Success

Criteria of Toll Road Projects From a Community

Societal Perspective. Built Environment Project and

Asset Management, Vol. 7(1), pp. 32-44.

https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-12-2015-0073.

Siswanto, V. A., Wahjuningsih, T. P., & Murtini. 2019.

Dampak Pembangunan Jalan Tol Terhadap Faktor

Sosial, Ekonomi Dan Lingkungan Pada Usaha Batik

dan Perhotelan di Kota Pekalongan. Jurnal Litbang

Kota Pekalongan, Vol. 17, pp. 83-92.

https://jurnal.pekalongankota.go.id/index.php/litbang/a

rticle/view/110.

Sumaryoto. 2010. Dampak Keberadaan Jalan Tol Terhadap

Kondisi Fisik, Sosial, dan Ekonomi Lingkungannya.

Journal of Rural and Development, Vol. 1(2), pp. 161–

168. https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/rural-and-development/arti

cle/view/23808.

Suprayitno, H., & Aryani Soemitro, R. A. 2018.

Preliminary Reflexion on Basic Principle of

Infrastructure Asset Management. Jurnal Manejemen

Aset Infrastruktur & Fasilitas, Vol. 2(1), pp. 1–10.

https://doi.org/10.12962/j26151847.v2i1.3763.

Social Impact Analysis of Trans-Sumatra Toll Road Development in Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province

149