Indonesian Military Works Round-the-Clock to Complete 218 Bridges in 2.5 Months

JAKARTA — The Indonesian Army (TNI AD) has completed the construction of 218 bridges across various regions of Indonesia within 2.5 months, an achievement made possible by personnel working around-the-clock, both day and night.

“Whether you call it artificial intelligence or not, it is day and night work to meet targets so that the community can recover economically and in terms of transport,” said Brigadier General Donny Pramono, Head of Information Services of the TNI AD, at Indonesian Army Headquarters in Central Jakarta on Thursday (12 March 2026).

Pramono stated that if soldiers had not worked round-the-clock, the target set by President Prabowo Subianto through Army Chief of Staff Maruli Simanjuntak would likely not have been achieved.

According to Pramono, the construction effort was undertaken to restore public access that had been severed due to geographical conditions and the impact of disasters.

“Of the total 218 bridges, approximately 80 per cent are located in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra. These comprise 77 Bailey bridges, 59 Armco bridges, and 82 pioneer suspension bridges,” Pramono explained.

In Aceh Province, the TNI AD constructed 88 bridges, consisting of 40 Bailey bridges, 34 Armco bridges, and 14 pioneer suspension bridges. In West Sumatra, the TNI AD built 24 bridges: 11 Bailey bridges, 10 Armco bridges, and 3 pioneer suspension bridges.

Beyond these three provinces, 57 additional bridges were constructed in various regions, including two Bailey bridges in Central Java. Meanwhile, 55 pioneer suspension bridges are distributed across several provinces, including West Java, Central Java, East Java, Banten, Lampung, Riau, South Sumatra, North Sumatra, West Nusa Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, and West Sulawesi.

Disasters occurring nearly simultaneously across multiple regions had severed many transportation access routes for local communities. Pramono noted that from the outset, TNI AD engineering units in affected areas deployed to the field to repair and reconstruct damaged bridges. However, the extensive scope of damage forced the TNI AD to deploy additional personnel from engineering units in other regions.

The TNI AD hopes that these bridges will normalise mobility for previously isolated communities and accelerate economic recovery in the affected regions.