Jayapura - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) continues to push for the completion of the construction of the Holtekamp Bridge which is above Youtefa Bay, Jayapura City, Papua Province. The existence of this type of steel arch bridge shortens the distance and travel time from Jayapura to the Skouw Cross-border Post (PLBN) from the original 2.5 hours to 1 hour.

PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the existence of the Holtekamp Bridge in addition to improving connectivity from Jayapura City to Muara Tami District and the Skouw PLBN, was also a solution to the problem of population density in Jayapura City. Before the existence of the bridge, the distribution of Jayapura City residents was uneven.

"The existence of the bridge will also play a role in controlling the pace of development of the city of Jayapura towards the western part of the mountains and very risky damaging the forest as the Jayapura City water catchment area," Minister Basuki said recently.

Holtekamp Bridge Construction is a collaboration between the Central Government through the Ministry of Public Works and the Provincial Government of Papua and Jayapura City Government. The Ministry of PUPR has completed the construction and installation of the 433-meter main span of the bridge and the construction of the Holtekamp-side approaching bridge along the 600-meter. At present the Ministry of PUPR is in the process of completing the construction of the 9,950 meter Holtekamp Bridge approaching road with a progress of 74.5%.

While the Papua Provincial Government has also completed the construction of a 30-meter approach road and a 270-meter approach bridge on the Holtekamp side. Jayapura City Government has completed the construction of a 320 meter Hamdi approaching road.

"The total cost of constructing the Holtekamp Bridge is Rp 1.3 trillion. For the bridge construction has been completed, currently completing the bridge approach to Skouw, there are still another 7 km of unpaved, now under construction and will be completed in July 2019 and ready to be inaugurated, "said Minister Basuki.

This is also the first time, the construction of a bridge where the curved bridge was made intact elsewhere then brought to the location. The construction was carried out by a consortium of construction contractors PT Pembangunan Perumahan, PT Hutama Karya and PT Nindya Karya in total.

The Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) set 2 records in the Holtekamp Bridge construction project, which is the record for sending the longest steel frame bridge with the longest distance and the longest steel frame bridge installation record.

Accompanying Minister Basuki, Director General of Bina Marga Sugiyartanto, Director General of Water Resources Hari Suprayogi, Bridge Director Iwan Zakarsi, Director of PT.PP M.Toha Fauzi, Head of the XVIII National Road Implementation Agency (BBPJN) Osman H. Marbun, Head of River Basin Areas (BWS) Papua Yulianus M. Mambrasar, and Head of the Public Communications Bureau Endra S. Atmawidjaja. (*)

Public Communications Bureau