Indonesia embarks on quixotic quest to build earthquake and volcano-proof bridge across violent Sunda Strait

April 21, 2012 – INDONESIA – The islands of Java and Sumatra are a step closer to being linked for the first time in their history by Indonesia’s largest-ever infrastructure project. The China Railway Construction Corporation has inked a deal to invest in the RP 100 trillion ($10.9 billion) Sunda Strait Bridge to link the islands — the largest agreement signed during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s visit to Beijing last month. The state-owned company is behind several rail projects in Africa and the Middle East. “The challenges are huge, but this will pave the way for a breakthrough,” said Agung Prabowo, president director of Graha Banten Lampung Sejahtera, the Indonesian consortium behind the project. “We’re not out to break any records, but we want the bridge realized, as it will benefit people on both sides.” The 30km bridge had been envisioned by the country’s first president Sukarno since the 1960s, but only recently did steady economic growth make its construction more realistic. A feasibility study is in the works, and construction is to start in 2014. Geologists and disaster management officials have given the all-clear to the proposed design, by renowned Indonesian architect Wiratman Wangsadinata, which would be able to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 9 as well as eruptions of the Anak Krakatau volcano some 50km away. It was formed after the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. “The Sunda Strait is likely to be the site of a major earthquake,” Professor Masyhur Irsyam of the Bandung Institute of Technology said this week. “But this is only a problem if structures are not designed to be strong enough to resist it.” The bridge will also be 200km from the undersea fault where the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates meet. As a result, the impact of a tsunami on the bridge will be limited, according to simulations, National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. But forget about hiking across the bridge for now: Winds at the strait are often fierce, and the crossing by ferry can stretch up to four hours. The bridge will link 80 per cent of Indonesia’s 240 million people by road and rail, and will take some 10 years to complete. The world’s largest ships will be able to pass under it, as the bridge will stand 80m at its highest. –Jakarta Globe