"We have just finished the feasibility study, the results of which will be used as a guide to design the tunnel," said Danis Sumadilaga, Head of the IKN Infrastructure Development Task Force at PUPR in North Penajam Paser on Wednesday.
After the immersed tunnel design is prepared, PUPR will then conduct an auction, which is expected to begin next year, he remarked.
"The immersed tunnel will be designed in the form of a box, with a length of around 1 to 1.5 kilometers," he said, adding that the tunnel will have six lanes of toll roads.
It will be constructed on land and then submerged underwater, he explained.
The tunnel is part of the IKN Access Toll Road, which connects Balikpapan City with IKN Nusantara and has a length of 47 kilometers.
It takes around 30 minutes to travel from the Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport to IKN Nusantara through the toll road.
"If construction of the immersed tunnel can begin in 2024, it is expected to be completed in two to three years.," Sumadilaga noted.
The tunnel construction will be funded by the state budget, and there is also the possibility of a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, he stated.
PUPR is currently conducting a feasibility study to determine the best alternative route for the immersed tunnel.
With the IKN development, the government is still committed to protecting the endemic fauna and flora around Balikpapan Bay. Hence, it will not build bridges that physically alter the environment's morphology but instead will construct an immersed tunnel.
Several countries have implemented such technology, such as Europe's Fehmarn tunnel and South Korea's Busan-Geoje tunnel.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Resinta S
Editor: Anton Santoso
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