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Ministry to Submit Recommendation on Land Link Between Java and Sumatra
Anita Rachman | September 05, 2009

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After years of study, the Ministry of Public Works says it hopes to submit a recommendation on the proposed land link between Java and Sumatra to the government by the end of October.

Danis H. Sumadilaga, the director of technical supervision in the ministry’s infrastructure directorate, said on Friday that the final analysis would include several aspects, including economic, organization, spatial planning and funding.

“We have yet to decide if the connection is going to be a bridge or a tunnel,” Danis said. “But having a connecting road between Java and Sumatra will increase the flow of traffic between the islands and bring economic benefits.

“We will have finished the analysis by October 21, and will submit our recommendation to the president.”

Danis said the idea of linking Java and Sumatra by bridge has been around for a long time, dating as far back as 1986.

He said that the plan was derailed by the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the resulting economic recession.

“The idea was conceived at the same time as the Suramadu bridge, which links Surabaya and Madura,” he said.

Experts, however, have already begun to issue warnings. Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, a geologist at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), noted in a paper that the Sunda Strait, which runs between Java and Sumatra, is situated in a highly active tectonic and volcanic zone.

He said information on the characteristics of the active faults in the area and what triggers earthquakes was poor, so a more serious and in-depth analysis would be needed.

“To build connecting infrastructure between Java and Sumatra is a huge investment with a high risk for disaster,” he said. “The construction will require a comprehensive and accurate risk analysis.”

Danis said the ministry is aware “that the conditions in the area between the two islands are fragile. But everything has its risks and that’s why we’re discussing it now.”