DIY Local Government Closes Total Access To Vehicles In Plengkung Nirbaya

The DIY Regional Government officially closed total vehicle access in Plengkung Nirbaya or better known as Plengkung Gading as a conservation effort on Saturday (15/3/2025) (ANTARA/HO-Pemda DIY)

YOGYAKARTA - The Regional Government (Pemda) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) officially closed total vehicle access in Plengkung Nirbaya or better known as Plekung Gading as an effort to conserve cultural heritage.

Head of the DIY Culture Service, Dian Lakshmi Pratiwi, explained that the decision was taken after the evaluation of the One-way Traffic Engineering (SSA) test showed that the condition of the cultural heritage structure was more worrying than the initial estimate.

"Not only as an effort to mitigate the rescue of Plengkung Nirbaya, but also mitigation of human safety and vehicles that are very likely to be affected by the Plekung Nirbaya vulnerability," said Dian as quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, March 15.

Dian stated that the sudden closure of access was carried out on the basis of indications of the impact.

He revealed that based on the results of monitoring since 2015, it shows the impact of age pressure, development, and an environment that worsens the condition of Plengkung Nirbaya. In fact, several studies found a decrease in structure of up to 10 cm.

In addition, vertical and horizontal cracks appear along walls and structure and floor connections, including potential for damage to the building structure as the rain drainage network system has not been able to function optimally.

Dian explained that this step is important to provide free space for obstacles in the process of mapping and documentation of damage more optimally.

That way, the DIY Regional Government can determine the right mitigation steps in order to maintain the integrity of the Plekung Nirbaya.

Meanwhile, the DIY Transportation Service and the Traffic Directorate (Ditlantas) of the Yogyakarta Regional Police will immediately follow up with traffic flow arrangements around the affected area.

"The building in general still looks intact but there is a very high vulnerability. This vulnerability cannot only be conditioned on the factors that only burden it but it is necessary to save the building structure itself," said Dian.

Plengkung Nirbaya is one of the main gates of the Baluwarti Fort that surrounds the Yogyakarta Palace.

The existence of this cultural heritage is an important part of the Yogyakarta Philosophy Axis.