Cracked pipe a danger to passersby

Four steel pillars reinforce the sides of an overhead road viaduct (see picture above) built during the Dutch colonial period on Jl. Raya Kedunghalang in Bogor.

Yayan Kusyana, an official from the Ciliwung-Cisadane regional water resource management office, said on Wednesday the concrete viaduct had been cracked after it was repeatedly struck by passing container trucks taller than the 3.75 meter high pipe.

"The last straw that almost broke the viaduct was when a container truck from Jakarta heading to Bogor hit part of it and caused severe damage," he said. There was a 15 centimeter in one section, he said.

Carrying an 80-ton load, the concrete structure could collapse onto motorists or pedestrians at any time, he said.

The office had placed notice boards on the viaduct to alert passersby of the threat, he said.

To prevent more collisions, the Bogor administration planned to install signs warning drivers of the low structure.

The viaduct channels water from Bantarjati dam to other areas across Bogor. -- Theresia Sufa