Sunda Strait Bridge to be constructed in 2014

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LAMPUNG - Coordinating Minister for Economy, Hatta Rajasa said here on Sunday that the construction of Sunda Strait Bridge (JSS) that connect Java and Sumatra, would start in 2014. "It is a must to construct that bridge, so it can no longer be postponed," he said in Karanganyar village, Jati Agung, south of Lampung.

The minister believed that the JSS construction would help boost the Indonesian economy because the bridge was the main gate of the land transportation into the Sumatra island. The construction of the bridge was also expected to overcome congestion in the distribution of agricultural crops in the two islands, Hatta said.

"I think it is a dire need to construct the JSS due to the increasing amount of the vehicles which cause the roll on-roll off (ro-ro) ships fail to maximally transporting the vehicles," he said.

Meanwhile, Lebak District Head Mulyadi Jayabaya, who is also the chairman of the Association of the Least Developed Districts (ASKATI), in Rangkasbitung on Tuesday (July 31) said the JSS is badly needed by the people of Banten and Lampung, as well as other communities. "Basically, the Banten and Lampung governors fully support the bridge`s construction," Mulyadi explained. The bridge would not only benefit Java and Sumatra islands, but also strengthen the national economy, he added.