Ten Governors Support Sunda Strait Bridge Construction

Serang, Banten, Nov 27 (ANTARA) - Ten governors from Sumatra Island have expressed support for the planned construction of Sunda Strait Bridge, as they realize they cannot rely solely on sea transportation. "The support came not just from the governors of Banten and Lampung provinces, but from all the 10 governors in Sumatra Island," Shaleh MT, a spokesman of the Banten provincial administration, said here on Tuesday. "The 10 governors realize that the currently existing sea transportation between Sumatra and Java islands is not sufficient for the economic development of Sumatra," he added. Sumatra island consists of 10 provinces: Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, Bangka Belitung, and Riau Islands. "The Sunda Strait Bridge is crucial for the economic development of not only Banten province but also Sumatra Island as a whole," Shaleh noted. On Monday, Deputy Minister of Public Works Hermanto Dardak said preparations for the development of strategic industrial zones around Sunda Strait were currently under way and would `complement the construction of Sunda Strait Bridge which will begin in 2014`. "In principle, we are developing the basic design now. As the secretariat, we continue to implement several important measures," he continued. "The secretariat is trying to identify potential major sectors that will be further developed to provide added value to these strategic zones," Dardak stated. "We will promote our synergy with Java, which focuses on service and food processing industries," he added. The Sunda Strait Bridge will be part of the Trans Asia Highway and Trans Asia Railway projects. The construction of the bridge is estimated to cost US$10 billion, which will be funded through consortium financing.