"The feasibility study included basic design," Deputy Public Works Minister Achmad Hermanto Dardak said on the sidelines of a seminar on the Sunda Strait at the University of Indonesia campus here on Wednesday.
He hoped the construction of the mega-project would be started in 2014 as the time of realization has been set in a work program.
He said the bridge will have a height of 75 meters to enable ships passing under it.
In the meantime, deputy for facilities and infrastructures of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Dedy S. Priatnasahid said the construction of the 29 km long bridge would cost about Rp 100 trillion.
Dedy said after an agreement with the government has been made, he will make an open tender. They will be sending tender sales to various countries like China and Hong Kong.
He said if the construction of the mega-project could be realized, the bridge would be the longest in the world as it would be 70 meters high above the surface of the sea, passing three small islands in the strait, Prajurit, Ular, and Sangiang.
He said further that the building of JSS would not be financially feasible for investors, so that it needs the support of the government in the form of building concessions in Banten and Lampung.
JSS will not only have highways and railroads, but trains, water, electricity, oil and gas, telecommunications facilities, and the development of communities near the mega-project.
He said the mega-project is also expected to support government programs under Indonesia`s accelerated and expanded economic development master plan (MP3EI) by way of strengthening the connectivity of corridors 1 (Sumatra) and 2 (Java).
"The government planned to erect the inaugural flag of JSS in 2014," he said.
President of Graha Lampung Consortium in Banten Sejahtera Agung R Prabowo acknowledged that many challenges had to be overcome first before the mega-project will be realized.
The problems include land clearance, technology, funding, politics, environment and others.
Earlier Minister Coordinating the Economy Hatta Rajasa said the construction of the Sunda Strait Bridge is scheduled to be started in 2014.
"A Presidential Decision has already been issued, and a commitment to realize the mega-project remains," he said.
Hatta said the government has prepared 40 thousand hectares of land for the mega-project. The integrated area he said covers 20 thousand hectares in Banten and the rest in Lampung to support the development of industrial areas after the bridge has become a reality.
After the issuance of the Presidential Decision (Kepres) on the construction of the Sunda Strait Bridge, he said, the government will draw up the commitments of companies including private companies and state-owned business enterprises (BUMN) which will realize the mega-project.
(F006)
Editor: Ella Syafputri
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
