E. Java legislators press govt on bridge project

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A caucus of legislators from East Java called on Tuesday on the government to honor its promise to build a 5.43 km-long bridge connecting Surabaya and Madura island.

Caucus spokesman Heri Akhmadi said he would meet State Minister for Research and Technology Hatta Radjasa to press this demand.

"It's an urgent project. We have discussed its economic advantage in public debates," Heri told reporters.

The caucus insisted that the bridge, to be called "Suramadu", would be vital to improve economic activities between Surabaya and Madura.

The bridge was envisioned in 1990 when then president Soeharto assigned the Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology to form a consortium to take care of it. A decade later, nothing has materialized.

It was estimated that the construction of the "Suramadu" bridge would cost Rp 2.16 trillion (US$212 million).

The caucus hopes that the authority of BPPT be dropped and the construction be jointly funded by a consortium of central government, the regional administration, and the private sector.

The project has been suspended for a decade due to financial as well as social problems. Many Madurese have openly objected to the plan for fear that the bridge would over-accelerate development in Madura, which would bring with it social problems, such as prostitution.