President Jokowi Officiates Three Bridges in C. Java

President Jokowi officiates three bridges, namely Tajum Margasana Bridge and Karangbawang Bridge in Banyumas regency and Jurug B Bridge in Surakarta city, Tuesday (01/02). (Photo by: Kris/BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

As part of his working visit to Banyumas regency, Central Java province, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Tuesday (01/02) inaugurated three new bridges: Tajum Margasana bridge and Karangbawang bridge in Banyumas regency and Jurug B bridge in Surakarta city.

“By saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, this afternoon I hereby inaugurate Tajum Margasana bridge in Banyumas, Karangbawang bridge in Banyumas, and Jurug B bridge in Surakarta-Karanganyar regency,” he said in his remarks at the inauguration on Tajum Margasana bridge.

According to the President, the three bridges are among 37 Callender-Hamilton bridges in the island of Java that need replacing due to their service life.

“In Java island, there are 37 Callender-Hamilton bridges that must be replaced as its service life is above 40 years,” he said, while pointing out that the construction of Tajum Margasana, Karangbawang, and Jurug B bridges used a budget of Rp72 billion, Rp89 billion, and Rp90 billion respectively.

The President expressed hope that the three bridges will facilitate mobility of goods and people.

“We will improve and revitalize bridges that are supposed to be renewed considering the increasing transportation and logistics loads over time. We hope that with these new bridges, the mobility of goods and people will be more secure and faster,” he said.

Based on data from Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, the 37 Callender-Hamilton bridges in Java island are spread in Banten province with 3 bridges, West Java province with 16 bridges, Central Java province with 9 bridges, and East Java province with 9 bridges.

The project to revitalize these 37 bridges required a budget of Rp2.2 trillion with a construction period of two years, from December 2021 to December 2023, and a 10-year service life up to 2033.

For the record, a Callender-Hamilton bridge is a modular portable pre-fabricated truss bridge, accelerating the construction as the components are pre-designed.

This type of bridge has been built in Indonesia since the 1970s.

The bridges have passed their service life as they are above 50 years old, making them vulnerable and need to be replaced due to logistics loads and heavy vehicles. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (DH/EP)