Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post 24 Aug 09;
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reiterated last week the government’s ambitious plan to connect Java and Sumatra with a massive bridge over the Sunda Strait, but at least one expert has pointed out several weaknesses of the plan.
Daniel M. Rosyid, a naval architect and lecturer at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology’s (ITS) School of Marine Technology in Surabaya, said Saturday that the plan to construct the 29-kilometer long bridge was both “cost-ineffective” and lacked any “well-proven technology” needed to realize the plan.
He said that a pre-feasibility study conducted by construction firm PT Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, a subsidiary of Artha Graha Network, which found that the construction of the bridge would cost up to Rp 100 trillion (approximately US$20 billion), was off the mark.
“Based on a calculations conducted by me and some of my colleagues at the ITS, it would cost between Rp 120 trillion and Rp 200 trillion to construct the bridge,” Daniel said in a phone interview with The Jakarta Post.
“The huge amount will be funded from the state budget. Public dialog is required before approval.”
Besides being costly, the construction would require at least 10 years to complete, he added.
Daniel further said that there was no proven technology available that could support the construction of the bridge, a 3,500 meter segment of which would be suspended.
The longest suspension bridge in the world is 2,200-meters long.
The planned Sunda Strait bridge would be 29 kilometers long – six times the length of the newly-officiated Suramadu bridge, which connects Java and Madura — and, with six car lanes, double railway tracks and motorcycle lanes, 60 meters wide.
Daniel said upgrading the ferry system that serves the strait, including replacing old ferries, renovating the harbors on each side and adding new ones, would be more feasible.
“If we use the advanced ferry system, we might need to invest just Rp 10 trillion or Rp 15 trillion, about 10 percent of the amount needed to construct the bridge; and it can be completed within three years,” Daniel said.
Meanwhile, Wiratman Wangsadinata, a retired structural engineering professor from the Bandung Institute of Technology, who has been hired as a consultant for the bridge project, said further study needed to be done to decide on the best structure for the bridge.
President of director of Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, Tommy Winata, said Krakatau’s presence created many challenges.
“We will be prepared for any technical, financial and other problems in winning the project. We want President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to issue a presidential instruction on the government’s decision to start this project within the next five years and to appoint a side to carry out the project or offer it up for bidding,” Tommy said.
Deputy minister for infrastructure and regional development at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Bambang Susantono, said the government was also mulling the construction of a 33-kilometer long underwater tunnel as an alternative to the bridge.
“The tunnel option would require less money; about Rp 49 trillion in investment, but it would have shorter life time, only some 20 years, compared with 100 years of the bridge,” Bambang said.
