Govt steams ahead with Sunda Strait Bridge railway plans

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/16/2010 7:30 PM

The planned Sunda Strait Bridge mega-project, connecting Java and Sumatra, would carry a double-track railway, the government says.

“So, it won’t be just a highway,” Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Hatta, who chairs the National Team for the Sunda Strait Bridge construction project, said the government would also lay underwater cables and fiber optic cables across the strait.

A pre-feasibility study conducted by construction firm PT Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, a subsidiary of Artha Graha Network, found that the 29-kilometer bridge would cost up to Rp 100 trillion (approximately US$10.75 billion).

Once operational in 2025, the bridge would stretch from Anyer in Banten to Bakauheni in Lampung. It would also pass over the Sanghiyang, Prajurit and Ular islands in the Sunda Strait.

Under the current plan, the bridge would also have six lanes for four-wheeled vehicles and two single lanes for motorcycles.

Hatta said that he would invite the governors of Banten and Lampung to discuss the project next week. (nkn)