Sunda Strait Bridge - 2011 Economic Masterplan

2011 Economic Masterplan

The bridge, included as part of a planned Sumatra economic corridor in the Indonesian government's 2011-2015 Masterplan released in May 2011, is listed as the single largest project (costed at Rp 150 trillion, or around $15 billion) in the plan. Details provided in the Masterplan indicate that the bridge is planned to be part of the Sunda Straits National Strategic Area and is part of the overall plan to improve connectivity across Indonesia. The Masterplan provides the following additional details as an outline of the project.

The bridge is expected to provide:

• Efficient transportation between Sumatra and Java, relatively free of weather and wave problems. Travel is expected to be reduced to around 30 minutes compared to the time needed for the current ferry services (two to three hours). In addition, the bridge is expected to provide a rail link for both passengers and freight.
• Infrastructure for the installation of pipes for liquids and gas, cables and fibre optic networks, as well a being a centre for tidal-based electricity.

The Masterplan notes that the bridge will be located on a key Indonesian sea lane. Technical characteristics of the bridge should therefore allow for the passage of container and passenger ships as well as vessels such as Nimitz class aircraft carriers and other ships as large as the USS Enterprise. It is also noted that the design of the bridge, as well as allowing for the inclusion of a railway, should also consider technical aspects such as the precise location (site) of the structure, geology, faults, seabed contours, seismicity, volcanology, and the risk of tsunamis.

The benefits of the bridge mentioned in the Masterplan are the following:

• Facilitating a shift in the development of industrial activities, currently concentrated in Java, towards Sumatra.
• Promoting the development of the agricultural sector in Sumatra as a supplier of products to Java.
• Facilitating development of economic activities near the bridge (such as the tourist resort of Tanjung Lesung (1,500 ha), the area around the Bojonegara container terminal (500 ha) in Banten and the industrial estate in Cilegon, both in Java, and other industrial and warehousing sites in the province of Lampung on the Sumatra side of the strait).
• Assisting the broader development of the industrial, tourism, and transportation sectors, including across ASEAN and Australia. The map of geo-economic tourism focused on 12 of the National Tourist Destinations is expected to change once the bridge is completed.

The Masterplan notes that preparations for the accelerated development of the bridge should include the following:

• Acceleration of the preparation of a Presidential Regulation to allow for the regulation of the bridge, possibly including arrangements for public-private partnership schemes (which may include the provincial government, national and local state-owned enterprises, and other strategic partners).
• Preparing procedures for an agency or team to conduct a feasibility study, including issues relating to prices and negotiated concessions.
• Development of infrastructure associated with the bridge (such as the Panimbang - Serang toll road, South Banten airport, Bojonegoro container port, and the Cilegon - Bojonegoro 14 km toll road).
• Planning for spacial impact of the bridge on Java and Sumatra.