Vice President Inspects Teupin Mane Bridge Construction, Targets October Functionality

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming inspected the reconstruction of Teupin Mane Bridge in Bireuen Regency, Aceh, on Thursday (6/8), with construction progress having reached approximately 45 percent and the bridge targeted to be functional by October 2026.

During the inspection in Juli District, the Vice President called for post-disaster infrastructure development to be accelerated while maintaining construction quality so that it can withstand potential extreme weather.

“We just want to anticipate. If the rainy season comes and it gets swept away again, that would be sad,” Gibran said in an official statement in Jakarta on Friday.

Head of the Aceh National Road Implementation Agency (BPJN) Zulkarnain said the reconstruction of Teupin Mane Bridge is important to restore access from Bireuen to Takengon, which had been cut off due to the disaster.

According to Zulkarnain, construction progress has reached around 45 percent and the bridge structure is targeted to be connected by the end of August 2026 before it can be made functional in October.

“The Vice President’s instruction earlier was that we hope this can be faster and with adequate quality,” he said after accompanying the Vice President.

During the visit, the Vice President also inspected Krueng Tingkeum Bridge and received an explanation regarding construction progress and field conditions from the project implementer.

Gibran also appreciated the synergy between central and regional governments, the TNI, Polri, and related parties in accelerating the reconstruction of disaster-affected infrastructure.

The construction of Teupin Mane Bridge is expected to restore access from Bireuen to the mountainous region, including Takengon, so that community mobility and economic activities disrupted by the loss of connectivity can resume.