Grobogan-Semarang Road Cut Off: Central Java Governor Demands Armco Bridge Construction Be Expedited

Governor Luthfi issued the instruction after inspecting the site of the collapsed embankment in person. He stressed that the road plays a vital role for the community as the main logistics distribution route and the primary Lebaran homecoming corridor, and demanded that access be restored to operational status as quickly as possible.

“The important thing is that this road can be used first, because it is the main homecoming route,” he said in a written statement on Tuesday (17 February 2026).

Luthfi explained that the response to the embankment collapse would proceed through two schemes: short-term and long-term. In the short term, the Central Java Provincial Public Works and Housing Agency (PUPR) will close the breached embankment in coordination with the Major River Basin Authority (BBWS), whilst simultaneously constructing an armco bridge to reconnect the main route.

The temporary closure of the embankment is planned to last three days, with reinforcement works continuing for a further week. For the long term, Luthfi will submit a request to the Ministry of PUPR for the normalisation of the Tuntang River, following the approach previously taken with the Wulan River.

During the visit, Luthfi also contacted the Minister of PUPR directly to request that the river normalisation be expedited.

“The sedimentation is extremely high. I will propose this to the ministry, because it falls under BBWS authority — at the very least, it needs to be normalised,” he added.

He further explained that the repeated collapses of the Tuntang River embankment have affected two areas: Grobogan Regency and Demak Regency.

Meanwhile, Head of the Central Java Provincial PUPR Agency Henggar Budi Anggoro stated that the province’s armco bridge had been relocated from Pati to Tinanding, Godong, and was scheduled to arrive at the site that evening.

“Our target is one week — we are confident we can complete the armco bridge,” he said.

The Tuntang River embankment collapsed on Monday afternoon (16 February). The incident in Tinanding Village caused the main Grobogan-Semarang road to be completely severed due to heavy rainfall and water surges from the upper reaches of the Glugu and Tuntang rivers.

As a result, 42 villages across 10 sub-districts in Grobogan Regency were inundated by flooding. At least 9,000 households were affected, and hundreds of hectares of agricultural land were submerged.