Riau, BIDA push govt on Batam-Bintan bridge project
The Riau Islands provincial government and Batam Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) are calling on the central government to take over the Batam-Bintan bridge development project.
Limited land and the growing population pose serious threats to Batam if it is not physically connected to Bintan Island, Riau Islands Governor Ismeth Abdullah told The Jakarta Post recently.
Ismeth said once completed, the project would benefit not only Batam but also Bintan and the two other islands connected by the bridge.
Initially proposed in 1990 alongside six other bridge projects by then BIDA chairman B.J. Habibie, the Batam-Bintan bridge project is divided into three units of bridges with a total length of 7 kilometers.
A 2.17-kilometer bridge will connect Batam and Tanjung Sauh Islands, a 3.9-kilometer bridge will run between Tanjung Sauh and Buau-Buau Islands and a 900-meter bridge will connect Buau-Buau with Bintan Island.
An estimated Rp 3 trillion is needed to construct the three bridges.
The six other bridges, which connect Batam with Tonton, Nipah, Setokok, Rempang, Galang and Galang Baru Islands, were built in 1999.
A number of foreign investors, according to Ismeth, have expressed interest in investing in the projects, but no regulations have been made to oversee investment in this kind of infrastructure project.
"That is why we ask the central government to fully finance the project," Ismeth said.
Ismeth said the completion of the project would help expand Batam's fast development to Bintan, to the benefit of both islands.
For example, Bintan, renowned for its clean water resources, can help supply clean water to Batam's 700,000 people, who depend heavily on dam water. Conversely, Batam, which has large-capacity power plants, can help supply Bintan, which has limited electricity supply.
Problems such as these can be resolved only when the bridge is completed, Ismeth said.
"That way we will also be able to maximally develop Batam's infrastructure including power plants, water-processing facilities, the airport and the harbor," Ismeth said.
BIDA public relations department head Dwi Djoko Wiwoho said that in cooperation with the Bogor Institute of Technology's industrial and research affiliation institution (LAPI-ITB), BIDA had conducted a feasibility study on the Batam-Bintan bridge construction design in 2005.
The study, according to Dwi, found any investor would break even after 10 to 15 years of operation, if the bridge were operated like a toll road.
The study also suggests for optimum use of the bridge, potential sources of income, including the industrial and tourism sectors in the three islands connected by the bridges, must also be developed.
Transportation from Batam to Bintan Islands is currently served by ferries that take about an hour to cross the channel. Motorcyclists and car users can transport their vehicles on wide-bodied ferries.
kay: great bridge... :cheers:
