Thresa Sandra Desfika, Jakarta – Indonesian transport experts are pushing back against the government's focus on overloaded trucks as the main cause of road damage, arguing that poor construction quality is the real reason roads across the country deteriorate so quickly.
Authorities have tightened restrictions on trucks carrying excess loads or modified beyond factory specifications, blaming them for widespread road damage and fatal traffic accidents.
But the Indonesian Transportation Society, or MTI, said the government is misplacing responsibility by singling out heavy vehicles.
"Even without large trucks passing through, roads in Indonesia are already very easy to damage. That shows how poor the construction quality is," said Djoko Setijowarno, a researcher at Indonesian Transportation Society.
"This should be the government's main concern – not just focusing on trucks," Djoko said on Sunday.
Roads are vital infrastructure supporting national logistics and economic activity, he added. Quality road access can raise asset values, drive growth, and help connect remote communities to healthcare, education, and economic centers.
"But all those benefits only materialize if the roads are in good condition," Djoko said.
He warned that damaged roads severely disrupt social and economic life, noting that highways built at great expense often become useless without proper oversight during construction and serious maintenance schedules. Large potholes on major routes frequently contribute to deadly accidents, he added.
The government's obligation to maintain roadworthiness is mandated under Law No. 2/2022.
Sony S. Wibowo, a civil engineering lecturer at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), said road damage is not always caused by excessive vehicle loads.
"The primary factors are workmanship and material quality," Sony said.
"If a road is built properly, the impact of overloading would only start to show after about a year – not immediately, as we often see now," he said. "When a newly repaired road is damaged again within two or three months, it's almost certainly not because of load, but because of poor construction quality, bad materials, or both."
Urban planning observer Yayat Supriyatna added that road deterioration during the rainy season is technically normal, as water corrodes asphalt surfaces. However, he said the deeper issue lies in substandard construction and maintenance.
"If roads are damaged during the rainy season, that's understandable because water is asphalt's enemy. But the real question is why the asphalt breaks down so easily in the first place," Yayat said.
He pointed to asphalt layers that are often built too thin, prioritizing smooth appearance over technical standards. In many cases, road construction is also unsupported by proper drainage systems, allowing rainwater or floodwater to pool for extended periods – accelerating deterioration.