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.