VIVAnews - The 29-km Sunda Strait bridge project, which will link Merak (Banten) and Bakauheni (Lampung) had once been offered to the United Arab Emirates.
In a copy of paper prepared by the Indonesian ambassador to United Arab Emirates Mohamad Wahid Supriyadi on Wednesday, August 19, the bridge will ne US$10 billion of fund.
"The government will only invest five percent while the remaining will be offered to investors," said Wahid.
The investment does not include the operational fund of the bridge which is estimated to reach US$50 million per year.
The paper mentioned that the bridge will be an important asset because the traffic to and from both islands is high.
In 2002, more than 19,000 tons of goods from Sumatra were distributed to Java through the Sunda Strait. In addition, more than 25,000 people and 6,000 vehicles are aboard ferry to cross the strait per day.
The bridge will shorten the journey to and from both islands to 30 minutes, compared to the usual three hours.
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Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono
