View source for North Coast Road (Java)

{{short description|Road in Indonesia}}

[[File:Pantura birdeye view.jpg|thumb|300px|Part of Java North Coast highway aerial view.]]

The '''North Coast Road''' ({{lang-id|Jalur Pantai Utara (Jalur Pantura)}}) is a road 1,430&nbsp;km in length,<ref>UN Economic & Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific: Asian Highway Database [http://www.unescap.org/ttdw/common/TIS/AH/files/indonesiahp.xls] Access date 29 March 2009</ref> that connects [[Cilegon, Banten|Cilegon]] and [[Banyuwangi]] along the northern coast of [[Java]], particularly between [[Jakarta]] and [[Surabaya]].

Most of Java's north coast road was built during the reign of [[Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies|governor-general]] [[Herman Willem Daendels]] (1808&ndash;1811) and was originally known as the [[Great Post Road]] ({{lang-id|Jalan Raya Pos}} {{lang-nl|De Grote Postweg}}).<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica: Herman Willem Daendels [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/149582/Herman-Willem-Daendels] Access date 29 March 2009</ref>

==History of construction==
{{main|Great Post Road}}
The Great Post Road was a [[military]] road which was built under the order of [[Lodewijk Napoleon|King Lodewijk Napoleon]] who ruled the [[Kingdom of Holland]] at that time.<ref name="nas"/> The road was intended to ease military support, e.g. transfer of soldiers, in order to defend [[Java]] from a possible [[United Kingdom|British]] invasion. It connects Anyer in its western end and Panarukan in the eastern end of Java. After the reign of Daendels, the eastern road was later extended to [[Banyuwangi]]. The Java Great Post Road consists of most of the present Java North Coast Road. However, the original [[post road]] runs through the Preanger (Priangan, [[West Java]]) highlands, from Meester Cornelis (Jatinegara) going south to Buitenzorg ([[Bogor]]), and going east to [[Cianjur]], [[Bandung]], [[Sumedang]], and [[Cirebon]]. The current north coast road runs through coastal northern West Java which was built later after the construction of Daendels' post road. It connects [[Bekasi]], [[Karawang]], Pamanukan, and Cirebon.

Most of the current national road network in Java was built during the [[Dutch East Indies]] era. However, during the [[Suharto]] era around the 1980s, the [[toll road]] network system was introduced within the Java transportation network. The Java toll network highway has been continuously expanded, and today some of these toll roads forms Java north coast road.

==Extent==
[[Image:Java Northcoast Road.svg|thumb|300px|Java's North Coast Road]]
As the Great Post Road, it originally ran from [[Anyer]] in the west of Java to [[Panarukan]] in the east, but was later extended to [[Banyuwangi]].<ref name="nas">{{cite conference|author=Peter Nas|title=Java and De Groote Postweg, La Grande Route, the Great Mail Road, Jalan Raya Pos|book-title= In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |volume=158 |issue=4 |pages=707&ndash;725 |year=2002 |url=http://www.leidenuniv.nl/fsw/nas/pdf/NasPratiwoPostweg30-10-2001.pdf |access-date=2007-10-25|format=PDF}}</ref> In its current form the North Coast Road runs through five [[Provinces of Indonesia|provinces]]: [[Banten]], [[DKI Jakarta]], [[West Java]], [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. The port of [[Merak, Banten|Merak]] forms the western terminus, connecting with [[Bakauheni]] in [[Sumatra]], the southern end of the [[Trans-Sumatran Highway]]. The eastern end is situated at Ketapang with connections to [[Gilimanuk]] in [[Bali]]. Sections of the North Coast Road are going to be part of the 13,177&nbsp;km {{Jct|country=ASIA|AH|2}} route of the [[Asian Highway Network]] route, which links [[Denpasar]], Bali with [[Khosravi, Kermanshah|Khosravi]], [[Iran]],<ref name="unescap.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/Full%20version.pdf|title=Asian Highway Handbook|date=2003|publisher=UN Economic & Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific|access-date=29 August 2015}}</ref> since some of the {{Jct|country=ASIA|AH|2}} is still under construction. {{Jct|country=ASIA|AH|2}} is a [[freeway]] limited to vehicles having at least 4 wheels. The North Coast Road also comprises {{jct|country=IDN|N|1}}, which is open to any vehicle.

==Cities==
The road connects the largest cities in Java, including Jakarta, [[Cilegon]], [[Tangerang]], [[Bekasi]], [[Cirebon]], [[Tegal (city)|Tegal]], [[Pekalongan]], [[Semarang]], [[Rembang]], [[Tuban]], Surabaya, [[Pasuruan]], [[Probolinggo]] and Banyuwangi.<ref name="unescap.org"/>

==Toll roads==
[[Image:Java Transportation Network.svg|thumb|300px|Road network of Java today.]]
The traffic of North Coast Road is gradually easing by the [[Trans-Java toll road]] and its complement toll roads.
* [[Tangerang–Merak Toll Road]] ([[Banten]])
* [[Jakarta–Tangerang Toll Road]] ([[Banten]])
* [[Jakarta Outer Ring Road]] ([[DKI Jakarta]])
* [[Jakarta–Cikampek Toll Road]] ([[West Java]])
* [[Cikopo–Palimanan Toll Road]] ([[West Java]])
* [[Palimanan–Kanci Toll Road]] ([[West Java]])
* [[Kanci–Pejagan Toll Road]] ([[Central Java]])
* [[Pejagan–Pemalang Toll Road]] ([[Central Java]])
* [[Pemalang–Batang Toll Road]] ([[Central Java]])
* [[Batang–Semarang Toll Road]] ([[Central Java]])
* [[Semarang Toll Road]] ([[Central Java]])
* [[Semarang–Solo Toll Road]] ([[Central Java]])
* [[Solo–Kertosono Toll Road]] ([[Central Java]])
* [[Kertosono–Mojokerto Toll Road]] ([[East Java]])
* [[Surabaya–Mojokerto Toll Road]] ([[East Java]])
* [[Surabaya–Gempol Toll Road]] ([[East Java]])
* [[Gempol–Pasuruan Toll Road]] ([[East Java]])
* [[Pasuruan–Probolinggo Toll Road]] ([[East Java]])
* [[Probolinggo–Banyuwangi Toll Road]] ([[East Java]])

==Volume and hazards==
This road is a major route for land transportation, being used by a range of 20,000 to 70,000 vehicles daily.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} The state of the road varies in condition, which can seriously affect traffic-flow.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2006/04/06/bumpy-going-along-java039s-damaged-north-coast-roads.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607110640/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2006/04/06/bumpy-going-along-java039s-damaged-north-coast-roads.html| archive-date = 2011-06-07| title = Bumpy going along Java's damaged north coast roads {{!}} The Jakarta Post}}</ref>

The North Coast Road is a major artery during the celebration of the [[Hari Raya Aidilfitri|''Lebaran'']] holiday, where transit is primarily west to east.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{AHN}}
{{National Routes of Indonesia}}
{{portal|Indonesia}}

[[Category:Highways in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Transport in Java]]
[[Category:Asian Highway Network]]
[[Category:Louis Bonaparte]]