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Bridge falls while under construction
A bridge connecting Marunda and Cilincing in North Jakarta collapsed while still under construction early on Sunday, another example of shoddy infrastructure in the wake of the fatal collapse of the Kutai bridge
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bridge connecting Marunda and Cilincing in North Jakarta collapsed while still under construction early on Sunday, another example of shoddy infrastructure in the wake of the fatal collapse of the Kutai bridge.
Collapsing trend: Workers remove pieces of the collapsed Marunda- Cilincing bridge in North Jakarta on Sunday. The bridge, which was due to be operational by end of this month, collapsed early Sunday. Nobody was injured, but the incident raises questions about the quality of workmanship. Antara/ Reno Esnir
No deaths or injuries were reported in the incident, but financial losses are expected to have reached to Rp 750 million (US$83,250).
City officials were quick to begin pointing the blame.
“This is purely human error. The quality of the concrete blocks should not be questioned, because they are top-notch,” Jakarta Public Works Agency deputy chief Novizal told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Once complete, the bridge is expected to be 620 meters long. Around 70 meters of the bridge still needs to be completed. The project is expected to be finished by the end of December.
Novizal said the incident had occurred when construction workers were attempting to place a sixth 30.8-meter girder on top of the foundation pillars.
“The sixth concrete block rolled sideways and fell on the block next to it, creating a domino effect,” he said.
The Marunda bridge incident comes in the wake of the collapse of the Kutai Kartanegara bridge in East Kalimantan, which killed at least 21 people and left 15 unaccounted for.
On Dec. 6, the 70-meter Bamba bridge over the Saddang River in Pinrang regency, South Sulawesi, collapsed only a month after it was opened. Two days later, the 800-
meter Pikhe bridge in Wamena in Jayawijaya district, Papua, collapsed.
On Sept. 16, 2010, a 100-meter section of the Jl. R.E. Martadinata, which connects Ancol and the Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta subsided as a result of seawater abrasion.
Urban analyst Nirwono Joga said he suspected foul played a part in the Marunda bridge collapse.
“The real reason [the incident occurred] is because contractors and government officials always cut corners on construction projects,” he told the Post.
On average only between 50 and 60 percent of funds earmarked for construction projects ends being used to pay for the actual construction, Nirwono said.
The remainder is used for administrative purposes, such as the wheeling and dealing needed to get the project approved by the City Council or House of Representatives, he said.
Nirwono urged government officials and contractors to stop corruption in infrastructure construction projects.
“We should not be playing with public safety. Things must change. The government should have the will to do it,” he said.
However, a civil engineering professor from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Rizal Tamin, said he was convinced that human error could have been the main factor in the Marunda bridge collapse.
“This could have been a result of a lack of discipline in implementing the standard operating procedures,” he said. (mim)
