Police Investigate Truck Driver Who Crashed into Tendean Footbridge
The Traffic Unit (Satlantas) of the South Jakarta Metro Police is investigating the driver of a towing truck carrying heavy equipment (crane) that struck the Pedestrian Bridge (JPO) on Jalan Raya Kapten Tendean, Mampang Prapatan, on Tuesday (14/7). The driver, identified by the initials JAS, 29, is currently undergoing intensive examination to probe elements of negligence that caused the truck to hit the Tendean footbridge.
South Jakarta Metro Police Traffic Unit Head, Kompol Mujiyanto, confirmed that JAS’s temporary detention was carried out to extract the chronology and determine legal accountability for the fatal damage to the public facility.
“It is still under investigation, he is still being detained,” Kompol Mujiyanto told reporters at the scene of the incident on Tuesday (14/7).
Based on the initial investigation, police strongly suspect the incident was triggered by the driver’s negligence in failing to account for the height of the vehicle’s load while passing. According to information gathered at the scene, JAS is suspected of driving while operating his mobile phone, causing him not to realise that the crane-laden truck he was driving from Summarecon Bogor to the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) would strike the underside span of the footbridge.
“Regarding the chronology of the incident, when passing, the truck driver likely did not know the height, so there was probably no estimation,” explained Mujiyanto.
The police also emphasised that they will summon the corporation or owner of the heavy vehicle for questioning regarding the route permit for the large-dimension fleet on the capital’s main road in the early hours of the morning.
Although there were no casualties, the impact of the hard collision at 01.00 WIB caused the bridge’s staircase structure to separate from the main body and lifted the support pillars from their foundations. Due to the structural damage deemed hazardous, the South Jakarta Bina Marga Sub-department decided to completely dismantle the bridge this afternoon.
As a result of the evacuation and the plan to lower the bridge’s steel span after rush hour, traffic flow from Mampang towards Blok M experienced total paralysis. The tailback reportedly extended to the Mampang underpass, the Kuningan intersection, and the Warung Buncit area.
Head of the South Jakarta Transportation Sub-department, Bernad Octavianus Pasaribu, stated that his party has deployed 30 personnel to implement situational traffic flow engineering.
“The Transportation Agency has mitigated four traffic control points, namely at the Mampang descent, the Mampang flyover, the incident location, and the Pasar Santa Traffic Light,” Bernad explained.
Motorists from the direction of Hotel Mercure or Trans TV are diverted via Jalan Mampang Prapatan Raya to make a U-turn. Residents are advised to avoid the Tendean area and switch to alternative routes on Jalan HR Rasuna Said, Jalan Gatot Subroto, Jalan Kemang Raya, or Jalan Pangeran Antasari.