Bridge Reconnected, Gayo Lues Residents Freed from Isolation

Residents in Dabun Gelang subdistrict, Gayo Lues Regency, Aceh, are now free from isolation after the bridge connecting inter-village areas was reconnected following the flash floods that struck the region at the end of November 2025. Agus Salim, a resident of Aih Bobo village, met in Dabun Gelang on Thursday afternoon, said that the bridge has long been the main access for the community to resume activities, including going to school, trading, and seeking treatment at the regional general hospital in Blangkejeren. However, due to the impact of logs carried by the flash floods, half of the 200-metre bridge’s body was severed. This condition isolated residents in several villages, from Badak, Uning Sepakat, Kendawi, Uning Gelung, Pangur, Rigep, Panglime Linting, Pepalan, Sangir, and Badak Uken, as they could not cross, even by two-wheeled vehicles or on foot. Although there is an alternative route, residents must take a long detour passing through three villages. “And that can only be crossed if the water does not overflow,” he said. In response to this situation, residents, together with a joint TNI/Polri team, worked together to build an emergency wooden bridge as an initial step to reopen the previously cut-off access. The government, through the Ministry of Public Works (PU), subsequently built a more adequate temporary bridge. Constructed from concrete and erected right next to the damaged old bridge, this bridge was officially put into use since 12 February 2026. The reconnection of the Dabun Gelang-Blangkejeren connecting bridge is hoped to accelerate the recovery of community activities, while also ending the isolation experienced by residents post-disaster.