Sunda Strait Bridge

The Sunda Strait

The Sunda Strait Bridge (Indonesian: Jembatan Selat Sunda, JSS) is a planned road and railway megaproject between the two Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. In October 2007, after years of discussion and planning, the Indonesian government gave the initial go-ahead for what could become the world’s longest suspension bridge, across the 26 km (16 mi) Sunda Strait.

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 cost of US$10 billion, 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. According to officials in the consortium that plan to build the bridge, construction would begin in 2012 if feasibility studies confirmed it was viable. A first step consisting of pre-feasiblity studies has kept the plan alive, with current estimates suggesting that the first travelers might cross the bridge as early as 2020.

There are different views as to the most appropriate designs for the details of a Sunda Strait Bridge, and even as to whether the construction of the project 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 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 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 in August 1883 culminated in a series of massive explosions that killed tens of thousands of people.

The bridge would significantly cut the travel time between the islands, 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 (on Java) of the strait. Sumatra is the most populous island in the world that has no roadway connection to (or does not contain) a national capital.

An article on the BBC News website in June, 2010, put the estimated cost at $20bn and stated that construction may start as early as 2011.

An Indonesian firm which is supporting the construction of the project, PT Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, has established a Indonesian website about the bridge which has links to many Indonesian reports on the progress of planning for the mega-project.

Timeline

Pre 2000

• Various references made as early as the 1960s to the possibility of building a bridge across the Sunda Strait. From time to time, senior political figures, academics, and others, mentioned the desirability of considering the project.

2007

• Early announcements made of plans to build the bridge. Early costs of $10 bn were mentioned.

2009

• Aug: A pre-feasiblity study on the construction of the bridge, conducted by PT Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, was presented to the Indonesian Government.
• Dec: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono established a high-level ministerial committee chaired by the Coordinating Economic Minister to oversee preparations for the construction of the bridge.

2010

• Some reports had raised the possible cost of the bridge to $20 bn.

2011

• Apr: The bridge was listed as a megaproject in the proposed Sumatra Economic Corridor in Indonesian Government's Economic Masterplan (see details below).
• Apr: GS Engineering and Construction Corporation from South Korea affirmed its interest in participating in the construction of the bridge. It would stretch 31 kilometers from Anyer, Banten to Bakauheni, Lampung through Sanghyang, Prajurit and Ular islands.
• May: Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said South Korea had expressed an interest in helping construct the bridge
• Sep: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that construction would start by 2014.
• Dec: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a Presidential Regulation (Peraturan Presiden) to facilitate further planning for the construction of the bridge. Ground breaking was expected to take place in 2014.

2011 Economic Masterplan

The bridge, included as part of a planned Sumatra economic corridor in the Indonesian Government's Economic Masterplan released in April 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.

Financing

It is not yet clear how such expensive infrastructure would be paid for. The Indonesian government has said that much of the cost will need to be financed through private sector participation. This reflects the current interest in Indonesia in the use of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) for investments in infrastructure. One possibility is for the bridge to be financed through a "turn-key project" arrangement. Other options include the offering of shares in the project through an initial public offering (IPO) or establishing a backdoor listing through a company already listed on the stock exchange. There has also been discussion of various tax concessions that might be provided by the Indonesian Government (such as exemptions from import taxes and value-added tax) to facilitate the project.

Debate about the project

The project is not without its critics. Some commentators have argued that the funds could be better used for other urgent infrastructure projects. Others have argued that overall policies relating to to interisland transport are more important than the construction of the bridge. Concerns voiced about the project have focused on both technical aspects and economic and financial matters. Few public details have yet been released by the Indonesian Government about these matters. A thorough cost-benefit analysis is not yet available. A well-informed public discussion has therefore not yet been possible. The Indonesian government's Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknology, or BPPT) has sponsored a number of preliminary discussions about aspects of the possible bridge technology in recent years. Some of the difficult technical, financial and economic issues involved in the construction of the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France appear to be relevant for planning about the best arrangements for a transport connection across the Sunda Strait. Demand forecasts for the use of the Chunnel Tunnel, for example, turned out to be far too optimistic thus leading to a benefit shortfall. The result was that revenues received through the operation of the tunnel were much less than expected during the first few years of operation.

Technical issues

Access to and use of land for infrastructure activities often gives rise to disagreements in Indonesia. Some concerns have already been expressed about land issues in connection with the project.

A second set of technical issues concerns the geological risks involved in locating such a major project close to sites of possible volcanic activity. The Krakatoa island group, for example, is nearby.

A third set of concerns relates to whether it is best to build a bridge at all, or whether alternative approaches (such as improved ferry services) might be a better way of responding to the rapidly-growing demand for improved transport services across the strait.

Economic and financial issues

Some commentators have expressed concerns about the high (and uncertain) cost of the project. Other uncertain issues relate to financing, likely pricing and revenue policies (toll arrangements), likely demand for (use of) the facility, and the cost of compensation for land acquired during the course of construction. Tendering processes are also often a source of considerable controversy in Indonesia and so questions have been raised about the nature of the letting of competitive tenders for the bridge.

External references

• Aglionby, John (2007-01-03). "Indonesia plans world’s longest bridge". Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b971a73c-71c4-11dc-8960-0000779fd2ac.html. Retrieved 7 March 2009. 
• Prastudi proyek jembatan Jawa-Sumatra dimulai - MetroTVNews.com
• Pemprov Pelajari Seluruh Aspek Jembatan Selat Sunda - Lampong Post
• There are also plans for an ambitious Malacca Strait Bridge