[UPDATED] Putrajaya mulls proposal for mega-bridge linking Melaka to Indonesia

JOHOR BARU – After receiving a proposal from a private company, the federal government is looking into the feasibility of a gigantic bridge project connecting Melaka in Peninsular Malaysia and Dumai in Indonesia – which are more than 100km apart.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said that the private financing initiative proposal was received by Putrajaya in 2021.

However, before any decision is made, Azalina said the government has to consider various factors including the financial model, feasibility of the project, technical requirements and the environmental impact of the project.

Further, she mentioned that while the mega-project may incur significant expenditure, Putrajaya has to consider that such a project will involve the policies of both nations.

Dumai is located some 110km from Melaka. It is the second largest city in Riau province after Pekanbaru, and is sited on the eastern coast of Sumatra island.

There is currently a ferry service for people to travel between Melaka and Dumai town which takes about two hours.  

“With regards to that, one of the main considerations of the project would be a suitable business model to ensure incomes taking into account projected traffic flow on the bridge,” Azalina said in a written parliamentary answer. 

“Also, a project of this scale will require detailed studies by various government ministries and agencies to ensure trade on the Malacca Straits is not affected,” she said.

The Pengerang MP was responding to a query by Khoo Poay Tiong (Kota Melaka-PH) who questioned the government’s view on proposals for a bridge connecting Malaysia and Indonesia.

Although the current proposed alignment is not officially revealed, it is conceivable that the main span of the bridge would be planned to link Melaka to the island of Pulau Rupat, located off Dumai. This could possibly be linked to a new land bridge on the island and another span across the channel to Dumai.

The project, if realised, would make the entire bridge the longest in Southeast Asia and one of the longest in the world. 

Currently, the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge in China, spanning more than 160km in length, holds the record as the longest bridge on Earth. 

Previously, in 1996, then Indonesian president, the late Suharto, and then Malaysian prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had discussed the possibility of a bridge across the Malacca Straits. 

However, the project was never realised, especially due to the Asian financial meltdown in 1997. Suharto was overthrown from power the next year. – The Vibes, April 8, 2023