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overnors from across Sumatra have called on the government to immediately bring to fruition the Sumatra toll road, aimed at opening business access areas in provinces that remain isolated due to poor infrastructure.

They estimated that the toll-road’s construction would be expensive but they confirmed that an initial section of the road would be built in Lampung.

“I, as Lampung governor, signed a memorandum of understanding [MoU] yesterday [Monday] with the Indonesia Highway Corporation [PT Jasa Marga] on the planned toll-road project from Bakauheni to Pematangpanggang, and Jasa Marga is ready to become the toll-road’s operator in Lampung,” Lampung Governor Sjachroedin Z.P. said on Tuesday.

According to him, governors from across Sumatra have agreed to sign MoUs with third parties.

“Technically, each governor is responsible for their respective areas. The most crucial issue is usually land acquisition, which is the responsibility of each of the governors and regents whose areas are crossed by the toll road,” he said.

He added that the Sumatra toll road was projected to link Bakauheni Port in South Lampung with Aceh province. The project will be synergized with the Sunda Strait Bridge and the double-track railroad from Lampung to Aceh.

“The toll road in Lampung is scheduled to open in 2014. It will stretch 150 km from Bakauheni to Pematangpanggang in Mesuji regency [bordering South Sumatra],” he said.

According to Sjachroedin, the Lampung Toll Road Acceleration Project’s technical team will conduct various tests before construction is begun. The tests are expected to be completed within a year.

“Hopefully, everything will run according to schedule so that the Sunda Strait Bridge can be integrated by 2014,” he said.

PT Bukit Asam will assist in the land acquisition and build certain stretches of the road as well as building the planned double-track line from Tarahan to Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra, in 2014.

The road’s financing is being divided into two parts: 70 percent of funding will come from banks and 30 percent from consortium sharing, namely between PT Jasa Marga and the Lampung provincial administration through provincial-owned enterprises, regent/municipal administrations, and the private sector.