70 Percent of Bridges Completed, TNI-Polri Synergy Key to Restoring Connectivity

Flash floods that struck three provinces in Sumatra at the end of November 2025 had a unique character. The disaster came in a dispersed, sporadic manner, isolating several areas due to severed access routes.

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian described the character of the Sumatra disaster as different from the handling he had previously experienced in Palu, Central Sulawesi. “The disaster in Sumatra is sporadic, with a wide spread area,” Tito said to DPR members on Monday, 30 March 2026.

This condition meant that recovery could not be done partially. In many locations, damage to bridges and roads became crucial points determining the speed or delay of aid distribution.

Tito exemplified the situation in Takengon, Central Aceh. That area did not suffer the most severe damage, but it was temporarily isolated due to severed connecting access. “For example, Takengon, the town is quite safe, but the bridge is broken,” he stated.

Although relatively spared from direct impact, Takengon was once confined. All routes to the area were cut off due to landslides and collapsed bridges, hindering logistics distribution. The tense situation in the town was acknowledged by Rani, one of the residents who was visiting home during the incident.

“My parents and I endured hunger for days because food was hard to obtain,” she told Tempo in early March 2026. After the emergency bridge was completed, conditions improved, and Rani along with her husband could return to Banda Aceh. “We were probably held up in our hometown for about two weeks,” she said while trying to recall.

Tito Karnavian’s explanation and Rani’s experience demonstrate that in large-scale disasters, even relatively safe areas can be paralysed if connectivity is disrupted. Therefore, restoring basic infrastructure becomes the top priority, particularly the construction of emergency bridges to reopen logistics routes.

For this reason, Tito continued, the government formed the Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) since 7 January, with the construction of emergency bridges as one of the priorities, namely Bailey bridges, Armco bridges, and pioneer bridges.

This priority work shows progress from month to month. From the coordination meeting results on 17 February 2026, the achievement at that time was only around 101 bridge units completed out of a total proposal of 173 units. “Even so, many are already functional, including Bailey bridges, Armco bridges, or others,” Tito said.

The progress is now even more significant. Based on the Satgas PRR report data as of 2 April 2026, the completion of these three types of emergency bridges has reached 70.47 percent. From the total needs that have increased to 305 bridge units in the three provinces, 215 of them have been completed and are functional.

This increase is quite drastic compared to the data on 11 March 2026. At that time, out of 237 targeted bridge units, only 148 were successfully completed, while 89 others were still under construction, or a total of around 62 percent.

This surge of more than 8 percent indicates significant acceleration in efforts to restore connectivity. If examined in more detail, this increase can be seen. In Aceh Province, 150 bridges have now been successfully functionalised. This number has jumped compared to the achievement as of 11 March 2026, which was only 94 units.

Currently, TNI AD troops have completed 39 Bailey bridges and 44 Armco bridges, while Polri has completed 17 pioneer bridges and 4 Bailey bridges. This achievement ensures that 23 bridges on national roads and 127 on regional roads in Aceh have been 100 percent restored.

Moving to North Sumatra, Satgas PRR has completed the construction of 37 functional bridges. This number has increased from 25 units on 11 March. TNI AD’s contribution includes the completion of 12 Bailey bridges and 19 Armco bridges, including the vital national route Tapsel-Tapteng.

Meanwhile, Polri has functionalised 4 pioneer bridges connecting strategic areas such as Central Tapanuli and Langkat. Now, all 7 bridges on North Sumatra’s national route have been completed, and 30 on regional roads are accessible again.

In West Sumatra, 28 bridge units are now functional, relatively the same as the data as of 11 March 2026. TNI AD completed 11 Bailey bridges and two others by Polri. In the Agam area, Polri has completed pioneer bridges 100 percent. In total, 13 bridges on West Sumatra’s national roads have been fully restored, plus 15 bridges on regional routes that are now reconnected.