Kediri Old Bridge, Historic bridge in Kediri City, Indonesia
Kediri Old Bridge spans 160 meters across the Brantas River, linking different areas of the city with a deck surface approximately 6 meters wide. The structure is designed to support both pedestrian and vehicular traffic, making it a practical crossing for daily movement through the city.
A stone bridge was ordered by the Dutch colonial government on 16 May 1854 to carry the Surabaya–Madiun road, replacing a 600-foot wooden crossing. Work began in 1855 but stopped in 1861 after foundation problems and cost overruns. Engineer Sytze Westerbaan Muurling's iron design was tendered successfully in 1865, and the bridge opened on 18 March 1869. In 1912 the deck was raised 1.5 metres after Kelud's 1901 eruption silted the Brantas.
Locals call it Jembatan Lama, and since 24 December 2018 it has been a protected cultural heritage structure, with through traffic shifted to the neighbouring Brawijaya Bridge. Two-wheeled vehicles from the east and pedestrians still cross it, and schoolchildren and market traders use it in the morning and late afternoon. History enthusiasts regularly campaign to protect it, partly because discarded cigarette butts have repeatedly set its wooden deck layer alight.
Since 24 December 2018, traffic has largely shifted to the Brawijaya Bridge a few metres north, and the Old Bridge is now a heritage structure open only to pedestrians and two-wheeled vehicles travelling from the east. It is narrow, so cross on foot where possible. Wooden deck layers have caught fire from discarded cigarettes, so do not smoke on the bridge.
The bridge's timber deck has repeatedly caught fire from discarded cigarette butts, prompting local history enthusiasts to campaign for its upkeep. Its iron structure survived a major flood that struck Kediri decades ago. Since 2018 it has been a heritage building, open only to pedestrians and two-wheelers from the east.
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