JAKARTA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government will commence construction of its longest sea bridge in 2020 connecting two islands near Singapore to beef up trade and growth with the neighboring business center.
The 7.035-km bridge will link Batam island and Bintan island with three phases of constructions, a statement from the cabinet secretariat said on Thursday.
"Construction of the bridge is planned to start in 2020. Certainly it will be undertaken based on its economic value," Housing and Public Work Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said.
The construction of the bridge will cost 4 trillion rupiah (about 384 million U.S. dollars) and take 3 to 4 years for completion.
"The ministry of housing and public works is preparing a feasibility study and analyzing engineering design which are expected to be completed at the end of 2019," the minister said.
The Indonesian government plans to make Batam island as an alternative shipping and manufacturing hub to neighboring Singapore, which may lure more investment.
President Joko Widodo who was re-elected for his second term aims to continue his program of constructing a massive infrastructure to create more jobs and accelerate economic growth.
