Ministry of Public Works: Muna-Buton Bridge Development Plan Underway
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Director General of Highways at the Ministry of Public Works, Roy Rizali Anwar, stated that the plan to construct the Muna-Buton Island Bridge in Southeast Sulawesi Province is still underway, progressing through various planning stages being prepared by the government.
According to Roy, the government continues to refine the bridge construction proposal, including reviewing several alternative financing schemes so that the strategic project can be realised in accordance with applicable regulations.
“It is still in process. The proposal is still in process. We are also proposing several alternative financing stages. As conveyed by Mr Ridwan Bae (Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives), there is also a loan mechanism and so forth, that process is also being carried out,” Roy said after a Working Meeting with Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Earlier in the meeting, Deputy Chairman of Commission V, Ridwan Bae, urged the Ministry of Public Works to explore alternative financing for the bridge construction plan.
Responding to this, Roy explained that one option being considered is funding through a loan scheme, alongside other financing mechanisms still under discussion.
Roy emphasised that the construction of the Muna-Buton Bridge must follow established stages, starting from a feasibility study, preparation of environmental documents, to the completion of detailed design and land readiness.
“The process remains the same, the stages remain the same. To build a bridge, there are stages: a feasibility study, environmental documents, then a detailed design, land readiness, and so on. All of this is still in process,” he explained.
Because all these stages are still ongoing, the Ministry of Public Works cannot yet confirm whether the construction of the Muna-Buton Bridge will be included in the physical implementation for 2027.
Although a construction timeline has not yet been set, Roy assured that the government continues to advance all planning processes and hopes for support from various parties so that the Muna-Buton Bridge project can be realised soon.
“Please pray it can be done as soon as possible. We ask for your support,” Roy said briefly.
Previously, Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo inspected the planned location for the Muna-Buton Island Connecting Bridge in Palabusa Village, Lea-lea District, Baubau City, Southeast Sulawesi Province.
Minister Dody Hanggodo, when met in Baubau on Sunday (13/7/2025), said the visit was to directly observe the technical calculations regarding the distance between the bridge and the sea surface, particularly the route that will serve as a shipping lane.
This must be carefully calculated so that the bridge’s presence does not obstruct maritime traffic in the long term.
“Anticipating tidal changes is important, because the area under the bridge is a shipping lane. We must ensure that in 10 to 20 years, ships can still pass safely,” he said.
Based on discussions between local and central government at that time, construction of the bridge was initially planned to commence in 2026 after all planning and technical structure preparation were completed.
According to Dody, the bridge’s presence will open up economic access between regions, particularly supporting the growth of the trade, tourism, and fisheries sectors on Muna Island, Central Buton, and Baubau City.
The Buton–Muna Bridge has a total length of 2,969 metres, comprising a main bridge span of 2,043 metres, an approach road on Muna Island of 186 metres, an approach bridge on Buton Island of 525 metres, and an additional approach road of 215 metres.
On the Muna Island side, the approach road will connect to a road section in Central Buton Regency, while on the Buton Island side, the approach road enters the Baubau City area.
The construction of this connecting bridge has been planned since 2010 but was previously delayed due to inter-agency communication and coordination constraints.