Broken Bridge in Lembar to Be Repaired This Year, Budget of Rp 2 Billion Allocated
The West Lombok Regency Government has pledged that repairs to a collapsed bridge in Sekotong Timur Village, Lembar District, will be realised this year, with a budget of Rp 2 billion allocated.
The Head of the Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing and Settlement Area (PUPRKP) Department, Lalu Ratnawi, stated that his office is currently completing the Detailed Engineering Design (DED) for the bridge.
“We are handling it this year, approximately Rp 2 billion. We are currently completing the DED,” he said on Monday, 2 March 2026.
Ratnawi stated that the bridge will subsequently be extended by approximately 10 to 11 metres to reinforce both sides. The bridge’s width will also be increased to facilitate the mobilisation of four-wheeled vehicles.
“Of course we will calculate it with water discharge multiplied several times up to 20 or 30 years ahead,” he added.
Beyond the bridge itself, Ratnawi also stated that repairs will target the connecting road with a length of three kilometres. The alternative road to Kuta Mandalika will subsequently be rehabilitated using the hotmix method.
“Road repairs are indeed budgeted by the regent this year. Approximately three kilometres, so the road and bridge will be repaired simultaneously,” he explained.
Previously, the bridge connecting Mareje Village and Sekotong Timur, Lembar District, West Lombok, collapsed when struck by river currents on Sunday, 22 February. Approximately 300 households were isolated for two days due to the collapse of this main access.
The bridge was the sole connector between Sekotong Timur Village and Mareje Village in Lembar District. The bridge’s collapse paralysed residents’ activities, including the distribution of goods and vehicle mobility.
The Head of Sekotong Timur Village, Marwan Hakim, stated that the bridge’s collapse also affected at least five schools, ranging from Early Childhood Education (PAUD) to Primary School (SD) levels. As a result, hundreds of students have been unable to attend school since Monday, 23 February 2026.
“Until now, our children cannot go to school because they cannot pass through. Here alone, SDN 1 Sekotong Timur has approximately 200 students, but fewer than 70 are attending. There are also residents of ours who attend school outside but cannot pass through,” he told detikBali on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.
According to Marwan, it is not only educational activities that have been affected. The economic activities of residents in the five hamlets have also stalled because access to the main route is paralysed.
“Our residents can no longer go to the market; they have to take a detour via the hills. There are mothers who sell vegetables by motorbike, and they cannot pass through now,” he said.