REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MEDAN - Indonesian Government predicts the feasibility study of the ambitious Sunda Strait Bridge project will be finished in 2013. Coordinating Minister of Economy, Hatta Rajasa, admitted that the project, among all projects in Masterplan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Development (MP3EI), was the most complex one. 

"We have different opinion about the building of the bridge that will connect Java and Sumatera Islands," Rajasa said during Coordinating Meeting of Sumatran Governors on Wednesday.

The difference is originated from financial matter. Rajasa expects the project not to be financed from state budget. In the contrary, Ministry of Finance demands the Sunda Strait Bridge to be built using government cash.

Rajasa said that the problems could be solved. Cabinet meeting two weeks ago decided State-owned Company to be involved in the project. The project will also be financed by private money.

The Minister explained that the bridge was important to connect Java and Sumatera to ease the delivery of goods and services. Currently, both islands are connected through ferries with limited capacities.

Yet, Acting Governor of North Sumatera, Gatot Pudjonugroho, said the bridge would not be effective without improving the infrastructure of transportation in Sumatera. Nowadays, all provinces in Sumatera are not connected well yet. Thus, government must prioritize the building of Trans Sumatera Railway before building the bridge.

Pudjonugroho said that connectivity between Sumatera and Java could be enhanced through water transportation. "As an archipelago, the regions in Indonesia are connected by long coastal line. Water transportation is the most effective way to decrease the cost of logistic distribution," he said.

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