Age and water erosion cited as causes of bridge subsidence in East Jakarta

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Damage to the bridge connecting provinces in Kampung Kramat, Setu Village, Cipayung District, East Jakarta, which has cracked and begun to subside, is suspected to be due to the age of the structure and water erosion in the lower part of the bridge.

“It is suspected that this bridge is old and there are cavities underneath that have been eroded by water, causing the cracks on the surface of the bridge,” said the Head of Setu Village, Dwi Widiastuti, in Jakarta, Thursday.

Dwi said that the initial cracks began to appear about two weeks ago. Over time, the condition of the bridge has worsened, leading to a decline in the road surface.

“The cause of the cracks in the bridge occurred about two weeks ago,” she said.

According to Dwi, the cavities under the bridge make the soil structure unstable. This reduces the load-bearing capacity of the construction, triggering the subsidence of the road surface.

The bridge is known to connect the provinces of DKI Jakarta and West Java, specifically Bekasi.

In addition to being an inter-provincial access route, this route is also known as the fastest route for residents, so it is quite heavily used by vehicles every day.

“Yes, this is a bridge connecting provinces. There are several routes, other routes may be from those that use the toll road, there is the PLN Toll Road, Jalan Kapuk Sumir, but this is the fastest, so it is busier,” explained Dwi.

Currently, the condition of the bridge is considered increasingly worrying. The road surface appears cracked and has subsided in several places.

Dwi appealed to residents to be careful when crossing and to comply with the restrictions that have been set to ensure the safety of all.

Previously, some residents complained about the damage to the Kampung Kramat road in Setu Village, Cipayung District, East Jakarta, which has cracked and subsided.

One resident, Suprianto (42), said that the damage did not occur suddenly, but started with small cracks that had been seen before and continued to widen until the condition of the road became as it is now.

“It’s been about a week now. At first, there were indeed cracks here, so slowly the cracks appeared, causing the road to be in this condition,” said Suprianto in Jakarta, Thursday.

Therefore, the intensity of vehicles passing through is quite high, especially during peak hours.