Japan pledges rp200-bln grant for 35 bridges in NTB

Mataram  (ANTARA News) - The Japanese government has pledged a Rp200 billion grant for the construction of 35 bridges in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province in 2009, a local official said. 

Speaking after opening a seminar on development in eastern Indonesian here on Tuesday, Supardi Sukandar, NTB public works office chief, said eight other bridges under a previous Japanese assistance program would be completed in mid-December 2008 at a cost of Rp60 billion. 

He said the 35 bridges to be built with the Japanse grant in 2009 would all be located on the southern sections of the province`s outer ringroad in the districts of Sumbawa and West Sumbawa to link isolated villages. 

Construction of all 35 bridges would start in January next year and be completed in December the same year. 

Sukandar said the bridges would be of great benefit to transmigrants in the Tongo and Lunyuk regions to market their agricultural commodities in urban areas. 

Transmigrants in the two remote regions were until now always grappling with great difficulties in marketing their products in the district`s towns because of transportation problems. 

"After the bridges have been completed, it will be much easier for the transmigrants to transport their produce to the cities," Sukandar said.