Outline of The Project
Construction of the bridge would be an ambitious project, being much more expensive than any other single infrastructure investment yet carried out in Indonesia. If the project goes ahead as planned, it would join the list of the world's most expensive transport infrastructure.
The project, with an initial estimated minimum cost of at least US$10 billion but probably considerably more, is for a series of bridges carrying a six lane highway and double track railway traversing the three islands of Prajurit, Sangiang, and Ular in the strait. The upper structure with a span of 3,300 meters would be like the Messina Strait Bridge in Italy, while the lower structure with a span of 1,991 meters would be similar to the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge in Japan. Officials in the consortium that plan to build the bridge originally hoped that construction would begin in 2012 but even the plan to prepare a feasibility study was delayed beyond 2012. It is currently (early 2013) hoped that a feasibility study will be prepared in 2013. There were originally hopes are that that the first travellers might cross the bridge as early as 2020 although the likely completion date is tending to drift because of delays in discussions about plans for the project.
There are different views as to the most appropriate design for the details of the bridge, and even as to whether the construction of a bridge is the best way of easing the current serious transport bottlenecks for movement between Java and Sumatra. Alternatives which some observers favour are the construction of a tunnel or, more simply, improvements to the existing intensively-used ferry services.
One of the various possible designs that has been mentioned involves a project of around 27 km in length with the following sections alternating across land and water:
Possible sections of Sunda Strait Bridge (illustrative example)
| Section | Length (km) | Structure | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I | 4.9 | Road | Java to Ular Island |
| Section II | 6.5 | Suspension bridge | Ular Island to Sangiang Island |
| Section III | 6.5 | Road | Across Sangiang Island |
| Section IV | 4.0 | Suspension bridge | Sangiang Island to Prajurit Island |
| Section V | 5.4 | Road | Prajurit Island to Sumatra |
| Total | 27.3 |
One of the difficult technical challenges to be considered is the fact that the strait lies in one of the world's most dangerous earthquake zones. Sumatra is frequently rocked by significant tremors; more than 170,000 people in Aceh in northern Sumatra were killed when a 9.0-magnitude quake in December 2004 triggered a tsunami. Many active volcanoes lie in the area, including Krakatoa only 40 km away. The best known eruption of Krakatau in 1883 culminated in a series of massive explosions that killed tens of thousands of people.
The bridge would significantly cut the travel time across the Sunda Strait which takes several hours by ferry. Some 20 million people crossed the strait in 2006 and the figure is forecast to double by 2020. The bridge would connect Java, with a population (2011) of around 140 million, with Sumatra (population around 52 million). A bridge might encourage some Jabodetabek commuters to move to Lampung province in southern Sumatra from Banten in West Java. The capital Jakarta lies some 100 km (65 mi) to the east of the strait, on Java. Java is the most populous island in the world, and Sumatra is fifth.
A BBC news report in June 2010 put the estimated cost at $20bn and suggested that construction may start as early as 2011.
Read more about this topic: Sunda Strait Bridge
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