Indonesian Army Completes Construction of 218 Bridges Across Indonesia in 2.5 Months
JAKARTA – The Indonesian Army’s Land Forces (TNI AD) has announced the completion of 218 bridge construction projects across various regions of Indonesia in approximately 2.5 months.
Brigadier General Donny Pramono, Head of the Army Information Service (Kadispenad), stated that the construction was undertaken to restore community access that had been cut off due to geographic conditions and disaster impacts.
“Of the 218 total, 80 per cent are indeed located in Aceh, West Sumatra and North Sumatra. There are 77 Bailey bridges, 59 Armco bridges, and 82 pioneer or suspension bridges,” Donny said at Army Headquarters in Central Jakarta on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
Meanwhile, North Sumatra has 49 bridges comprising 24 Bailey bridges, 15 Armco bridges, and 10 pioneer or suspension bridges.
In West Sumatra, the TNI AD constructed 24 bridges: 11 Bailey bridges, 10 Armco bridges, and 3 pioneer or suspension bridges.
Beyond these three provinces, 57 additional bridges were built across various regions, including two Bailey bridges in Central Java.
“All of these exist and are tangible. If anyone questions whether this is AI (Artificial Intelligence), please verify,” he stated firmly while displaying video footage.
The senior military officer explained that the bridge construction initiative stemmed from post-disaster recovery efforts following calamities that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra in late December 2025.
The near-simultaneous disasters across these regions severed much of the community’s transportation access.
Donny stated that from the outset, TNI AD engineering units in the affected areas deployed to the field to repair and reconstruct damaged bridges.
The effort involved three affected regional military commands: Iskandar Muda Regional Command, I Bukit Barisan Regional Command, and XX Tuanku Imam Bonjol Regional Command.
“People often ask how this was accomplished so quickly in 2.5 months. It’s because we worked in parallel. We didn’t do this region then shift to another,” he explained.
“That’s why some think it’s impossible, but it actually happened. All these bridges have been physically constructed,” he added.
Additionally, soldiers worked day and night to meet completion targets.
These efforts were undertaken to expedite the restoration of community transportation access and resume economic activity in the affected regions.
Through this bridge construction programme, the TNI AD hopes that mobility in previously isolated communities will return to normal and accelerate regional economic recovery.