Ampera Bridge, Vertical-lift bridge in Palembang, Indonesia.
Ampera Bridge spans the Musi River in Palembang, linking Seberang Ulu and Seberang Ilir. It is 1,117 metres long and 22 metres wide, with two red-painted steel lattice towers 63 metres tall set 75 metres apart. Each tower rests on a wide grey concrete pier in the water, and the deck stands 11.5 metres above the surface.
Japan built this crossing between 1962 and 1965 as a reparation project after World War II, replacing earlier ferry services. President Sukarno officially opened the structure in 1965, marking a key moment for the city's infrastructure.
The name Ampera is an acronym of Amanat Penderitaan Rakyat, a phrase from the preamble of Indonesia's 1945 Constitution. The bridge was first called Jembatan Bung Karno, after President Sukarno, and was renamed in 1966 during the De-Sukarnoization campaign. A large vertical banner with figures hangs on one tower.
You can cross on foot using walkways below the main roadway or drive across the upper deck. Visit during late afternoon or evening when lighting highlights the steel framework and temperatures drop.
Architect Wiratman, a consultant before construction, said the design was flawed from the start because of the soft mud beneath it; his warnings were set aside, the tower foundations shifted, and the span could no longer be raised. The 500-ton counterweights were taken down in 1990 so they could not fall.
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