After 11 Years, The 160 Meter Bridge In Padang Was Completed

Bride Inauguration in Padang (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The bridge in Padang City, West Sumatra took 11 years to complete due to land acquisition issues.

"The construction process started in 2010, but will only be completed in 2021. Perhaps this is the longest bridge construction in West Sumatra," said West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno in Padang, as reported by Antara, Tuesday, February 9.

He said that when he inaugurated the 160-meter long bridge connecting Kuranji District and Pauh District.

He said the land acquisition was often an obstacle to infrastructure development in West Sumatra. However, with various approaches both persuasively and legally, development can still be carried out even though it sometimes lags behind the target.

"Actually, the state has Law No. 2 of 2012 which allows land acquisition by consignment or depositing compensation money in court. But we still prioritize persuasive efforts," he said.

Irwan said that infrastructure development is one of the factors driving economic growth, which in turn increases the welfare of the community.

Therefore, people are encouraged to support development carried out by the government.

Head of the Public Works Department of West Sumatra, Fathol Bari, said that the construction of the bridge was built in three stages, each span I and II along 30 meters and span III 100 meters long. The total length of the bridge is 160 meters.

"The total budget is 50.3 billion for bridges and connecting roads along 684 meters," he said.

He said the roads and bridges would be given one more layer so that vehicles with a maximum tonnage of 8 tonnes could be used.

The Mayor of Padang, Mahyeldi Ansharullah, said that he will immediately budget for bridge maintenance costs, including the addition of lights on the bridge so that it is not used as a place to hang out for non-muhrim couples.