Gempong Salah Sirong emergency bridge in Salah Sirong Village, Jeumpa District, Bireuen Regency, Aceh, was again damaged after being hit by a flood on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Heavy rain caused the Peusangan River to overflow by 3-4 meters and caused two pillars of the emergency bridge to be swept away by the current.
The Ministry of Public Works (PU) stated that it had responded quickly on site by installing a security barrier and lowering heavy equipment.
Minister PU Dody Hanggodo said that his party would immediately build a replacement emergency bridge using the Armco construction.
"We will immediately follow up. In the next two to three days, the Armco Bridge material will be brought in specifically from Jakarta, mobilized to the location and immediately built," said Dody in a written statement, Friday, February 20.
The construction of the replacement emergency bridge will use 10 Armco units with a total span of around 80 meters.
The Armco bridge was chosen because it has a more sturdy, modular corrugated steel structure and can be installed in a relatively short time.
Previously, the bridge at the location was also affected by flash floods on November 27, 2025.
On January 21, 2026, Dody had directly reviewed the damaged bridge and instructed the construction of an emergency bridge to maintain the residents' connectivity.
As a follow-up, the Aceh National Road Implementation Office (BPJN) of the Ministry of PU's Road Construction Directorate General built an emergency bridge along 180 meters using a box container construction containing sirtu and boulder materials as a foundation and a 6-meter-long specially designed coconut trunk wooden structure.
The bridge was used by the community to connect Salah Sirong Jaya Village, Jeumpa District, with Krueng Simpo Village, Juli District, specifically in Bivak Village.
However, the extreme rainfall intensity again increased the discharge of the Peusangan River and eroded the two foundations of the emergency bridge pillars.
In addition to emergency handling, the PU Ministry also prepared a permanent frame bridge design as a long-term solution.
The planning takes into account the flood water level and the hydrological characteristics of the Peusangan River to be more adaptive to the potential for extreme flooding in the future.
Dody also conveyed greetings from President Prabowo Subianto to the people of Bireuen and the residents of Salah Sirong.
The Minister of PU emphasized that connectivity was a priority so that people's activities could continue.
"Our priority is to maintain connectivity so that people's activities continue and no area is isolated. Once there is damage due to subsequent flooding, we immediately send teams and prepare stronger solutions," added Dody.
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