Indonesian Army Builds Bridge to Aid Residents in North Jakarta

The Garuda Bridge, spanning the Kali Anak Sentiong, connects the Pademangan Timur and Sunter Agung sub-districts. Jakarta (ANTARA) - Units of the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) have built the Garuda Bridge to assist residents in the Pademangan area of North Jakarta with their daily activities. This programme forms part of the Pioneer Bridge Construction activities directly overseen by the Army Chief of Staff (KSAD), General TNI Maruli Simanjuntak. Commander of Kodim 0502/North Jakarta, Colonel Inf. Mohammad Syaifuddin Fanany, stated that the bridge was constructed by his personnel with assistance from the local community. According to Fanany, the previous bridge was in a severely damaged and dangerous condition for public use. He noted that several wooden parts of the bridge had become rotten due to frequent exposure to floodwaters. The condition of the bridge was reported by the local Babinsa to the Kodim for repairs to be requested. Based on these findings, personnel from Kodim 0502/North Jakarta were immediately deployed to build the bridge. He continued that the construction took 33 days. Once completed, the bridge was inaugurated by Pangdam Jaya Lieutenant General TNI Dedy Suryadi and is now available for public use. Fanany said that in the future, his unit will continue to build or repair other bridges in the North Jakarta area. Previously, in an official press release, KSAD General TNI Maruli Simanjuntak stated that TNI AD has successfully built 336 bridges in various locations, including disaster-affected areas such as Aceh, Padang, and North Sumatra. This number, Maruli added, will continue to grow as the unit is currently constructing 908 more bridges. He further explained that the construction will persist until the number of bridges exceeds 7,000, in line with the targets of the Pioneer Bridge Construction programme. Maruli continued that this bridge-building programme demonstrates that TNI AD is not only focused on territorial defence but also on initiatives for public prosperity.