Yellow Bridge in Klungkung Regency, Bali is functioning again. The suspension bridge that connects the people of Nusa Lembongan Island with the people of Nusa Ceningan Island had collapsed resulting in the interruption of local community access.

The re-functioning of the 138 meter bridge was marked by the inauguration carried out by the Director General (Dirjen) of Bina Marga Arie Setiadi Moerwanto along with Deputy Governor of Bali I Ketut Sudikerta and Klungkung Regent I Nyoman Suwirta in Klungkung on Friday (31/3). Also present was the Head of the VIII I Ketut Dharmawahana National Road Implementation Agency (BBPJN).

The Yellow Bridge, known as the love bridge, was built in 1996. The infrastructure is a suspension bridge intended for pedestrians and two-wheeled vehicles. However, on October 16, 2016 a catastrophe occurred in the form of the collapse of the Yellow Bridge, causing access to the two islands to be cut off and resulting in fatalities.

In order to help expedite the mobility and economy of the citizens, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing through the Directorate General of Highways has poured state budget funds of Rp 3.4 billion to rebuild the bridge.

"We are sorry for the tragedy of the collapse of the bridge which caused casualties. Hopefully the rebuilding of the Yellow Bridge can help the mobility of citizens and also improve tourism in Klungkung, "said the Director General of Highways.

Arie added, repairs to the bridge were carried out while still using the existing sub-structure through several adjustments and the upper structure using a framework that was taken from the existing stock so that the implementation of the Yellow Bridge construction could be done more quickly.

For information, the Yellow Hanging Bridge has a length of 138 meters and a width of 1.8 meters. This bridge consists of three spans, namely along 24 meters, 90 meters and 24 meters. After the collapse, the bridge was rebuilt on November 10, 2016 and completed on March 9, 2017. Although the Yellow Bridge was built with state budget funds, after the administrative process is complete, the bridge will be donated to the Regional Government.

"At present the status of the bridge is still Partially Hand Over (PHO), which is still under supervision and checking by the Central Government. "Over the next 4 months, a Final Hand Over (FHO) will be conducted, namely handing over assets to the Regional Government," continued Arie.

Meanwhile, Deputy Governor of Bali, I Ketut Sudikerta expressed his deepest gratitude to the central government for helping to rebuild the bridge of love that was broken due to erosion and due to the aging of the bridge.

"The rebuilding of the bridge is expected to help the economic wheels of the people of Ceningan and Lembongan and also support tourism in the Nusa Penida region," he said.

The inauguration and re-operation of the Yellow Bridge today was used as a rebranding facility by the Klungkung Regent, I Nyoman Suwirta.

"Since the bridge collapsed, the name of the Yellow Bridge or the Bridge of Love began to sink. With this inauguration, it is our first step to hold a rebranding event by exposing the bridge with the help of media colleagues. So this bridge can be a special attraction and lead to an increase in the number of tourists visiting Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, "he explained.

Therefore, Arie urged that all elements of the community maintain and maintain this suspension bridge so that it can function properly according to the age of the plan.

"Use the bridge in accordance with its purpose, which is only for crossing people and two-wheeled vehicles. avoid activities that can endanger the bridge such as dredging the ground around the bridge or throwing trash on the bridge, "he concluded. (KompuBM)