Operators, driver in spotlight after bridge hit by truck

Side effect: Heavy congestion at the Bukit Nusa Indah residential compound in Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten on Monday. The congestion was due to the closure of the Ulujami-Bumi Serpong Damai toll road after the collapse of a footbridge, hit by a truck carrying heavy equipment late on Sunday.( JP/Dhoni Setiawan )

Regulations surrounding the construction of pedestrian bridges and the height limit for container trucks are in the spotlight following the collapse of a footbridge across Bumi Serpong Damai ( BSD ) toll road in South Tangerang.

PT Nusantara Infrastructure, the holding company of PT Bintaro Serpong Damai that built the footbridge, insists that before the incident the bridge was in good condition and emphasized that its construction had met all construction standards.

Deden Rochmawaty, PT Nusantara Infrastructure general manager for corporate affairs, said the company had observed all requirements, including a minimum height clearance of 4.2 meters, and had conducting periodic inspections twice yearly since the bridge was built in 2007.

"Overall, the bridge was in good condition and had never had any problems. We had also put a minimum height sign on the bridge," Deden said in a statement.

The incident, that took place on Sunday at 10 p.m., claimed no ca sualties but caused severe traffic congestion in the area, which quickly became packed by motorists trying to find alternative routes and being diverted by police.

Drivers heading to BSD from Jakarta or Pondok Indah should take the Pondok Ranji exit, while those heading to Jakarta from BSD should take the Bintaro or Pondok Ranji exits.

The 5-meter-high bridge collapsed blocking both sides of the road after it was hit by a truck carrying a big crane on its way from BSD to Jakarta. On Monday evening, most of the toll road remained closed due to the slow process of removing the wreckage of the bridge.

Two cranes with a total capacity of 50 tons was deployed by PT Bintaro Serpong Damai to move the bridge. But, the bridge was too heavy for them. In the afternoon the developer attempted to do the job with two other cranes with capacities of 160 tons.

The police have taken in the truck's driver, Marsan Simbolon, 34, and his driver's assistant for questioning. Th e police said that there was a high chance the driver would be charged with damaging property or disrupting traffic under Article 274 of the Traffic Law, which carries a maximum sentence of one year's imprisonment.

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Awi Setiono said there was also a question of possible negligence by the driver, but added that further questioning would have to be carried out before drawing any conclusions.

"We still need to speak with more related parties including companies that were in charge of the pedestrian bridge's construction and the truck's operation," Awi told The Jakarta Post.

Tangerang Police traffic accident head Second Insp. Hadi said the driver, who was not carrying his driver's license with him at the time, denied any responsibility, claiming that he had not had trouble passing under the two previous pedestrian bridges on the toll road.

Hadi added that PT AMS, the truck's operator, would be summoned in the nea r future.

Purwoto, president director of PT Bintaro Serpong Damai, said there was a possibility the crane had moved slightly on the truck as it might not have been locked down tightly enough. "I think the crane moved slightly and some part of it hit the bridge," he said.

"The blame is not on us, but on the company operating the truck, but we will wait for further investigation by the police," he said.

Source: Operators, driver in spotlight after bridge hit by truck