T

he government has begun preparations for the long-awaited construction of the Sunda Strait bridge following the issuance of a presidential decree on the appointment of the developers for the US$11 billion project.

Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the presidential decree cleared the legal obstacle to the start of the construction of the 29-kilometer bridge, which would link Merak, Banten in the western part of Java with Lampung, in the southern part of Sumatra.

Speaking to reporters following a coordinating meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, Djoko said that his office and related parties were preparing the grand design for the project.

A consortium comprising Banten and Lampung administrations, along with PT Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, a subsidiary of business tycoon Tommy Winata’s Arta Graha Network, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop the bridge in October 2007. But no concrete action has been taken since then because the consortium required the President to issue a special decree on their appointment.

Wiratman Wangsadinata, the consultant for the bridge construction, said that the Presidential decree issued earlier this month contained guidelines on the involvement of the consortium in the project.

Wiratman said that his team was now preparing feasibility studies and drawing up the physical design of the bridge. He said he had been given two years to prepare such work so that construction could begin in 2014.

Currently, passengers and cargo from Sumatra and Java are transported through Merak Port in Ban-ten and Bakauheni in Lampung.

A single ferry journey takes about three to four hours, while a fast boat ride takes around 45 minutes. However, ferry services are interrupted during heavy swells when fast boats are also banned from crossing.

Upon completion of the bridge, which is estimated to cost at least Rp 100 trillion, it should take less than 30 minutes to cross the strait by electric train.

The bridge is planned to be at least 29 kilometers long — six times the length of the Suramadu bridge, which connects Java and Madura — and have six car lanes, double railway tracks and motorcycle lanes.

Separately, Tommy said that the consortium planned to conduct its feasibility studies on the bridge project as soon as possible.

“We are currently waiting for the standard operating procedures to be set by the operational team head in accordance with the decree,” Tommy told The Jakarta Post.

“We hope to start construction on the bridge in the first quarter of 2014,” he added.

Previously, experts have warned the government to consider earthquake potential as a major element in the design of the bridge as it will be located near Anak Krakatau, a highly active volcano.