Ministry Of PUPR Builds 410 Suspension Bridges Over The Last 6 Years, Longest In Papua

Photo of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) through the Directorate General of Highways has built 410 suspension bridge units throughout Indonesia from 2015 to 2021.

The total length of the suspension bridge is 30,171 meters. The suspension bridge was built with the shortest span of 32 meters and the longest 300 meters.

"This is an extraordinary achievement. The suspension bridge looks short, but if we put it together we have built 30 km of suspension bridges," said Head of PMU Suspension Bridge and Steel Frame Bridge of the Directorate General of Highways Hendarto in an official statement, Wednesday, June 22.

For information, in 2015 the PUPR Ministry built 10 suspension bridges with a total length of 762 meters, 2016 as many as 7 suspension bridges with a length of 720 meters, in 2017 13 suspension bridges with a length of 850 meters.

Then in 2018, 130 suspension bridges with a length of 9,124 meters, in 2019, 140 suspension bridges with a length of 10,008 meters, in 2020 as many as 43 suspension bridges with a length of 3,764 meters.

Meanwhile, in 2021, 67 suspension bridges will be built with a length of 4,943 meters.

The longest suspension bridge is the Kali Erok Suspension Bridge in Korupun District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua.

This bridge has a length of 300 meters which was built in FY 2020.

While the shortest suspension bridges with a length of 32 meters are the Slada Suspension Bridge in Brebes, the Aek Silang Suspension Bridge in Humbang Hasundutan Regency.

One of the beneficiaries of this suspension bridge construction is a resident in Bulu Subdistrict, Temanggung Regency.

In FY 2021, the Ministry of PUPR has completed the construction of the 60-meter Pagergunung Suspension Bridge.

The Head of Pagergunung Village, Sukarman, said that before the suspension bridge was built, traffic to Gandurejo Village had to pass through the slopes of Mount Sumbing as deep as 60 meters.

Meanwhile, access to the main road so far has to take 20-30 minutes to make a detour.

"After the bridge is connected, the travel time for the two villages is reduced to only 2-3 minutes," he said.

The suspension bridge is a manifestation of President Joko Widodo's policy to build infrastructure in rural areas, especially those that are difficult to reach, so that they are more open.

The presence of a suspension bridge is very much needed by the community because of the geographical condition of the Indonesian region which has many mountains, valleys and rivers.

Physically, this condition is often a separator between the location where residents live and various public service facilities such as schools, markets, and government offices.