Batam, Batamnews - The Indonesian government will officially build the Batam-Bintan bridge, along 7 kilometers (km). 

This will be the longest bridge in Indonesia. This project is in demand by Singapore. The two countries discussed it.

The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) said the bridge would be built through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme. Previously, investors from Singapore were reportedly interested in this project.

The Directorate General (Ditjen) of Bina Marga admitted to having conducted technical and financial studies on the construction of the Batam-Bintan Bridge. Even though using the PPP scheme, the government will still provide financial support so that the project remains feasible.

"In the evaluation conducted by the Directorate General of Infrastructure Financing, PPP cannot fund the totality, but there must be a portion assisted by the Government. The Government's portion is around 30%," said Director of Bridge Construction, Ditjen Bina Yudha Handita Pandjiriawan, in his recent official statement.

The Batam-Bintan Bridge is a special bridge consisting of two bridges, namely Batam-Tanjung Sauh and Tanjung Sauh-Bintan. The portion of government financing is on the Batam-Tanjung Sauh bridge. Meanwhile, Tanjung Sauh-Bintan will be built by investors through an auction process.

"The Batam bridge to Tanjung Sauh is around 2,000 meters and Tanjung Sauh to Bintan is 5,000 meters, so the total length is around 7,000 meters," Yudha explained.

The initial design for the construction of this bridge was made by the Riau Islands Provincial Government in 2005. However, it was updated in 2010.