Jakarta - The Indonesian government is expecting the completion of its longest bridge connecting Java and Madura islands before the start of general elections in April 2009,local press said Monday.
The 5.4-km long bridge is under construction between Surabaya in East Java and the town of Bangkalan on the island of Madura.
The 3 trillion rupiah (330 million U.S. dollars) bridge will have two lanes in each direction plus an emergency lane and a dedicated lane for motorcycles, reported English-language daily The Jakarta Post.
Yudha Andita, chief of the bridge development project, was quoted as saying that the bridge was more than 75 percent complete at the end of last month.
He said the construction of the bridge, which was designed during the Soeharto era and kicked off by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, was entering a vital stage of the central section in the deepest waters.
Source: news.xinhuanet.com (9 April 2008)