Bengkulu City Government Allocates Rp5.2 Billion for Three Flood-Prone Bridges
Bengkulu City, Bengkulu Province (ANTARA) - The Bengkulu City Government has allocated Rp5.2 billion from the 2026 regional revenue and expenditure budget (APBD) for the construction of three bridges located in flood-prone areas.
“The Public Works and Spatial Planning Office actually identified these locations back in 2023, but at the time we were constrained by the budget. Thank God, this year it can finally be realised,” said Noprisman, Head of the Bengkulu City Public Works and Spatial Planning Office (PUPR), in Bengkulu on Monday.
He said the bridge construction would smooth residents’ mobility, as well as improve safety and connectivity between areas that have often been cut off during periods of heavy rainfall.
He noted that the construction of the three bridges is the result of collaboration between the Bengkulu City Government and the Bengkulu City Police (Polresta Bengkulu), as the police actively gathered community aspirations and reported actual conditions on the ground, with the construction being a concrete follow-up to complaints collected through the community policing officers (Bhabinkamtibmas).
The construction sites were determined after police officers carried out validation to ensure the building works were properly targeted.
“The proposed locations have now been carried out, and all the work has been contracted. Hopefully the construction can be completed in roughly three months, so that by November it can already be used by the community,” he explained.
The three bridges will be built in flood-prone areas, namely the Pancur Mas, Betungan, and Muara Bangkahulu (Pematang Gubernur) districts.
The total budget allocated varies for each area: the Betungan bridge receives around Rp1.4 billion, the Pancur Mas bridge is allocated around Rp1.8 billion, and the Pematang Gubernur bridge is allocated roughly Rp2 billion.
Noprisman explained that the differing budget allocations are due to the bridge constructions requiring concrete that cannot be cast in stages.
Furthermore, the Bengkulu City PUPR Office will implement a total closure of road access at the project sites during the works, and traffic diversions will be announced to the public shortly.
He therefore appealed to residents to understand the traffic engineering measures, as the bridges’ concrete structures require an ideal curing period before they are safe for heavy vehicles to cross.
“Concrete needs time to reach the appropriate age, so it cannot be used immediately after casting is completed. We hope the public can be patient, because this construction is for the common good,” Noprisman explained.