"We have submitted proposal for the toll road construction program using mainly unoccupied lands."Medan, North Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road extending between the northern and southern tips of the island is estimated to cost Rp300 trillion .
The 2,000 km toll road will not use existing roads and will not need relocation of houses, a director at the public works ministry Subagyo said here on Thursday.
The cost will be cheaper as it would use lands belonging to state plantations and unused lands, Subagyo said.
"Plantation companies would be more than eager to offer a small part of their land for the project as it would greatly facilitate the transport of their commodities," he said.
In Java, implementation of toll roads are often delayed and costly because of difficulty in land clearing.
"We have submitted proposal for the toll road construction program using mainly unoccupied lands," he said.
The long term program to be completed in 2025 will boost economic development in Sumatra, he said.
Earlier the government said completion of the Trans Sumatra Toll road would be timed to coincide with the construction of Sunda Strait bridge spanning the sea between Sumatra and Java.
The government has said construction of the 30 kilometer bridge will be completed in 10 years after tender to be held in 2014.
The Sunda Strait bridge will be the country`s longest and it would be built and financed by a consortium at a cost of around Rp250 trillion including for development of commercial areas in both ends of the bridge.
The consortium, PT Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, will cooperate with the Banten-Lampung consortium and Artha Graha, Deputy public works minister Hermanto Dardak said.
(Uu.AS/H-YH/H-ASG)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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