The Impact of Toll Road Development: An Analysis Based on Public Administration Ecology

Abstract

Toll roads are one of the infrastructural elements that drive an economy, and their existence can facilitate the equitable development of a country. These roads can serve as measures of the economic progress in a nation and show its readiness for a civilization characterized by simple but fast-paced activities. In the Indonesian context, toll road construction during the administration of President Joko Widodo was carried out on a massive scale. From 2014 to 2019, 1,235 km of toll roads were built throughout Indonesia. This extensive construction project exerts various positive and negative socio-cultural and economic effects on non-natural aspects of public administration ecology, but adverse effects on the natural environment are more prevalent. The government’s policies on the construction of toll roads have focused only on the consideration of benefits related to the distribution of goods and people (economic aspects). No deliberation has been directed specifically to preserving environmental functions that serve as capital for the construction of toll roads. Ignoring these aspects is expected to diminish long-term environmental quality and quality of life.