The government has said the Surabaya-Madura (Suramadu) bridge will be managed by a domestic toll road operator and has called on interested firms to prepare to compete for a tender to manage Indonesia's longest bridge.

The announcement was made by Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto when supervising Friday the final stage of the bridge's construction along with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Communication and Information Minister M Nuh and National Development Planning Board chairman Paskah Suzetta.

East Java Governor Soekarwo previously expressed hope the bridge would be managed by a domestic firm.

Djoko said the operator would be announced only after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officiates the 5.4-kilometer bridge, which links East Java's provincial capital Surabaya with nearby Madura Island, on June 10.

"The president will also announce the toll road tariffs for cars, trucks and motorcycles crossing the bridge," he said.

"One thing is for sure, the bridge will be managed temporarily by state toll road operator PT Jasa Marga and private operator PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada (CMNP) for 18 months after the bridge is opened."

PT Jasa Marga earlier expressed its readiness to participate in the tender process by preparing all the required documents.

As for who will lead the Suramadu Area Management Board, the government has looked at 13 state and provincial officials. The search committee consists of several ministers including Djoko, Sri Mul-yani and Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal.

The names are still being kept confidential.

Djoko said the team would pick five names, to be narrowed down to two or three, before submitting the names of the potential candidates to the president, who will choose the chief of the management board.

The prospective chief should have vision and mission to further develop the Suramadu area, have sufficient knowledge, skills, personality and experience.

Meanwhile, assistant to East Java provincial secretary for economic and development affairs, Chaerul Djaelani, said the provincial administration submitted three candidates for consideration as Pamekasan regional coordination board head including Djunaidi Mahendra, former East Java vice governor Imam Supardi and former provincial highway agency head Heryowiyanto.

Construction of the bridge is expected to be fully completed on June 5. Asphalt overlay work and the instalment of electrical wiring below motorcycle lanes has yet to be completed. Several sections of fences around the areas still being worked on are also yet to be installed.

The bridge will also be equipped with a wind velocity detector, which will provide vital information to motorists and bridge workers.

Vehicles will not be allowed to pass the bridge if the wind exceeds a certain speed.

Initiated during the tenure of then president Megawati Soekarnoputri, the bridge has cost Rp 4.5 trillion (US$437 million) to construct and has employed more than 3,500 workers from Indonesia and China.

The completed bridge will shorten traffic time between Surabaya and Madura to about ten minutes, from about 30 minutes by (a usually crowded) ferry.

The Suramadu bridge will become a modern icon for East Java, with two wide lanes in each direction, plus a dedicated motorcycle lane.

The government plans to develop a 1,800-hectare area around the Suramadu bridge into an economic development area, 600 hectares of which will be set aside as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Madura Island is set to become a center for the cattle industry.

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