Bridge repaired ahead of schedule

Bridge repaired ahead of schedule

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post/Subang

Repairs to a collapsed bridge in Subang, West Java, have been
completed early, but an official says more work in the area is
urgent to prevent similar accidents in the future.

Purnomo, the head of the Ministry of Settlement and Regional
Infrastructure's Cipunagara Bridge Repair Project, said the work
to the bridge was completed 15 days earlier than the 45-day
deadline.

"The repairs were completed on Friday. We have reported this
to the minister ... (Soenarno), so that he can immediately reopen
the bridge," he said on Saturday.

The bridge would continue to be closed to the public until
after the opening ceremony, he said.

Purnomo said favorable weather meant the work had gone quicker
than scheduled.

Traffic in the northern coastal area of West Java province
would return to normal soon, he said.

The renovation of the bridge, located in Mulyasari, Subang,
was a crucial link on the busy highway in the northern coastal
area. Purnomo said the month-long repair cost the state about Rp
2 billion (US$212,765).

While repairs were underway, traffic from Jakarta to other
cities in Java was diverted onto several alternative routes.

The Cipunagara bridge, which was built in 1978, collapsed on
July 23, plunging seven vehicles and a motorcycle into the
Cipunagara River. Eight people were injured in the 11 p.m.
accident, three of them seriously.

Purnomo warned there were 25 other bridges in the area that
needed urgent repairs.

More than 1,200 meters of bridges in the area needed
upgrading, at a total cost of more than Rp 100 billion (US$10.6
million), Purnomo said. However, much of the work would not take
place until 2005 and 2006, he said.

The bridges, which were mostly built between 1973 and 1974,
were designed to hold between 200 and 250 tons of load and to
last more than 50 years, he said.

"But, (these factors) are merely estimates. The Cipunagara
Bridge, which is the same type and class as the other 25 bridges
and was built about five years later ... collapsed," Purnomo
said.

In order to prevent similar accidents in the future, the 25
bridges needed to be repaired as soon as possible, Purnomo said.