Ease Of Access For Inter-Village Residents, Ministry Of PUPR Completes 3 Suspension Bridges In East Java

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) has completed the construction of three suspension bridges to improve inter-village connectivity in East Java Province.

The three bridges are the Brungkah Suspension Bridge in Karangrejo Village, Pacitan Regency, the Kowel Suspension Bridge, Pamekasan Regency, and the Macanbang Suspension Bridge, Tulungagung Regency.

PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the construction of a suspension bridge as one of the people's infrastructure would facilitate mobility and cut travel time between villages that previously had to travel far because they were separated by geographical conditions, such as slopes, hills, ravines, or rivers.

"The presence of the suspension bridge will make it easier and shorter for residents of rural communities to access schools, markets, workplaces, take care of administration to the village or sub-district office and access friendships between residents," said Minister Basuki in a written statement, Tuesday, June 14.

The construction of the three bridges has been carried out by the Ministry of PUPR through the Central Java-Bali National Road Implementation Center (BBPJN) since August 2021 and completed in March 2022 with a multi-year budget of Rp. 9.9 billion in one work contract package.

The first suspension bridge to be completed was the Brungkah Suspension Bridge in Karangrejo Village, Pacitan Regency, with a length of 84 meters.

The next suspension bridge that has also been completed is the Kowel Bridge in Pamekasan Regency with a length of 60 meters.

This suspension bridge will connect Kowel Village to Gladak Anyar.

This suspension bridge is a replacement for the Kowel Bridge which was damaged by floods in January 2021.

Finally, there is the Macanbang Suspension Bridge in Tulungagung Regency with a length of 42 meters which has also been completed.

The construction of this suspension bridge is to facilitate road access for residents, especially those who work as farmers to go to their rice fields and facilitate road access from Macanbang Village to Gondosuli Village.

Based on data, it was recorded that from 2015 to 2021 the Ministry of PUPR through the Directorate General of Highways had built 409 suspension bridge units throughout Indonesia.

The total length of the suspension bridge is 30,445 meters.

The suspension bridge was built with the shortest span of 42 meters and the longest of 150 meters, with a width of 1.8 meters.

In FY 2022, 73 suspension bridges are planned to be built.

The details are Region 1 which includes 27 units of Sumatra and Kalimantan, Region 2 of Java Island to East Nusa Tenggara 31 units and Region 3 of Sulawesi to Papua 15 units.

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.