Youtefa Bridge, Arch bridge in Jayapura, Indonesia
The Youtefa Bridge is a red steel arch structure that connects Jayapura's city center to the Muara Tami district across the bay. This construction spans over 700 meters of water and provides a direct passage where only long detours were previously available.
Construction started in 2015 and represented a major infrastructure development for the Papua region. The steel framework was assembled in Java and then transported to Papua as a complete unit, an uncommon logistical achievement at that scale.
The bridge was renamed from Holtekamp to Youtefa at the request of the Tobati and Enggros indigenous communities, whose territory the crossing passes through, and for its position over Youtefa Bay. The name ties the structure to those two communities rather than to a single people.
The bridge carries the road between Jayapura city centre and Muara Tami District, cutting that trip from about 35 km and an hour to 12 km and roughly 15 minutes. It also serves traffic heading to the Skouw border post, now 30–40 minutes away instead of 1.5–2 hours. The deck has white lane markings and red-edged barriers, with thin light poles along the edge.
The structure earned two Indonesian Museum of Records certificates, including recognition for the longest intact steel frame bridge transport ever completed. This achievement highlights the remarkable engineering feat involved in moving such a massive structure across land and sea.
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