Gembor bridge to close for repairs

TANGERANG (JP): The local administration decided on Monday to close part of Jl. Siliwangi due to the poor condition of Gembor bridge, an official said on Monday.

The bridge, which links the road to Jl. Jati and Jl. Pasar Kemis, will be closed until April 10 to allow for repairs.

The 30-year-old bridge is no longer able to hold the everyday heavy traffic which is loaded with truck containers and trailers, the official said.

Corrosion of the bridge was partly due to a lack of maintenance and attention from about 140 companies located along the street, said Mochtar, a member of the Road Repair Operational Team, which was set up specially by the mayoralty office.

He said 63 of the 140 companies in the area whose trucks and buses use the bridge to carry employees and goods were willing to contribute to the bridge's maintenance.

"The rest refused to pay for various reasons. It is outrageous as they decide how much money they want to donate. The monthly contribution varies between Rp 50,000 and Rp 1 million," Mochtar said.

"The most annoying part is that I often go back and forth at least four times to the companies, only to collect Rp 40,000," he explained.

Since 1984 the local administration has issued a decree to impose sanctions on companies who fail to contribute to road and bridge maintenance, Mochtar said.

But no firm action was taken against the companies, he said.

The chief of the ministry of public works in Tangerang, Engkan Lengkana, said detours would divert traffic until work was completed.

"People can go as far as the end of Gembor bridge and walk or ride a motorbike through an emergency bridge built near it.

"The other alternatives are that they can go through Jl. Moh. Toha, Jl. Pasar Kemis or through the toll road to Jl. Pasar Kemis," Engkan said.

He said the office only has Rp 281 million to maintain 40 bridges, of which Rp 20 million was a donation from Japan to repair Gembor bridge.

"That is why we can only concentrate on the main roads such as Teuku Umar and Imam Bonjol," he said. (41/edt)