Construction of Surabaya-Madura bridge to finish by December: VP

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Sunday the completion of a bridge connecting Surabaya and Madura Island had reached 87 percent and that the project was expected to be finished by
December 2008.

The construction, popularly referred to as "Suramadu" -- short for Surabaya-Madura -- has lapsed over a period that has seen five Indonesian presidents in power, from the late former
president Soeharto to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, with a total cost of about Rp 4.5 trillion (about US$490.7 million).

While visiting the bridge site in Surabaya, Kalla said the project leader had just promised to finish the construction of the bridge by December 2008.

"The main obstruction to the construction is not the availability of funds but technical problems, land acquisition and other social issues," Kalla said.

"The construction is short of about Rp 900 billion, but don't worry, it (the money) is still being processed at the National Development Planning Board.

"It is impossible for the government to hold onto the fund. There will be heavy losses if the construction remains incomplete."

The Vice President also said the government would charge a fee for motorists using the bridge in order to cover maintenance and operational costs.

During his visit, Kalla was accompanied by Public Works Minister Joko Kirmanto, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris, Communications and Information Minister M. Nuh and State Minister for State Enterprises Sofyan Djalil. (**)