Trenggalek-Ponorogo National Road Now Passable with Restrictions Following Landslide

The Trenggalek-Ponorogo National Road, which was temporarily closed because of a landslide, is now passable for limited traffic. The road had been blocked earlier by large rocks from a cliff at KM 16, Dusun Pacar, Nglinggis Village, Tugu District, Trenggalek Regency, East Java. The Ministry of Public Works (PU), through the BBPJN East Java-Bali, conducted intensive measures to clear the landslide material that covered the entire carriageway. The landslide occurred on Tuesday, 3 March 2026, at around 17:30 WIB after the Tugu district and surrounding areas had been subjected to rain from 14:30 WIB with moderate to heavy intensity. The loose rock blocked access for both two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles. Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo emphasised that maintaining connectivity is the government’s top priority in disaster emergencies. ‘Connectivity is the lifeblood of the community. In a disaster, the most important thing is to ensure access remains open so that mobility of residents, humanitarian aid, and logistics distribution are not interrupted,’ he said, referencing an official statement on Thursday, 5 March 2026. To tackle the landslide, the BBPJN East Java-Bali through the PPK 2.3 team in East Java deployed personnel and heavy machinery to clear the rock material from the carriageway. Work focused on breaking large rocks with an estimated volume of around 68 cubic metres. The team deployed four heavy machines: one breaker, two excavators, and one loader. The large rocks were first broken using the breaker. The resulting fragments were then lifted by excavators and a loader to reopen the carriageway. Javid Hurriyanto, Head of BBPJN East Java-Bali, said the operation was carried out in stages with safety considerations because there is still potential rockfall from the surrounding hillside. ‘The operation is being conducted in stages, prioritising breaking the large rocks first using the breaker. Once the material is broken, transport follows so that the roadway can be opened as soon as possible,’ he said. After clearance, access to the Trenggalek-Ponorogo National Road is now available for limited vehicle passage. Road users are advised to proceed with caution as clearing and slope protection works continue at the landslide site. Field checks also found that the retaining wall structure at the site did not suffer any structural damage from ground movement. Damage observed is limited to cracking caused by impact with rock material. During the handling process, the Ministry of Public Works coordinated with BPBD Trenggalek, TRC-PB multisector, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Police (Polri), and local communities to assess the site and regulate traffic. An alternative route was prepared for road users during the handling process.