Have you ever wondered if there are any of Indonesia’s longest bridges that you can explore when visiting Indonesia? As a developing country, you can find many buildings and public places as well includes bridges. As an archipelago country, it needs more bridges to connect it to other places.
Not surprisingly, you will find Indonesia’s longest bridges in some specific regions that are commonly around the border of each region in Indonesia. Those bridges, commonly cross the river, strait, and even sea between two islands or two cities are commonly used by different largest ethnic groups in Indonesia.
If you are wondering where to find Indonesia’s longest bridges, here we have some of them on the list below! Let’s check them out!
1. Suramadu Bridge
Suramadu bridge is one of Indonesia’s longest bridges so far that connects two areas in between Madura island and Surabaya, including other areas around Java islands. The bridge has around 5,438 m in length and 146 m in height with the start and the end in Surabaya and Bangkalan is one of the smallest Indonesian cities by size.
Suramadu bridge was built in around 2003 and was inaugurated in around 2009. This kind of bridge functions as the road bridge across the Madura strait. It cost more than IDR 4.5 trillion or approx. USD445 million to build the whole sturdy bridge.
2. Pasupati Bridge
Pasupati Bridge is one of Indonesia’s longest bridges after the Suramadu Bridge. This kind of bridge extends from the north and east of Bandung that sweeps through the Cikapundung valley over the Jalan Pasteur as the main road in Bandung of East Java, one of the cities with the largest population in Indonesia.
Pasupati Bridge has around 2,282 m in length that was already built with anti-earthquake technology. This kind of bridge functions as a road bridge that is capable to hold up to 140 tons. Since it was launched in 2005, the bridge has never been empty from road users.
3. Barelang Bridge
Barelang Bridge is one of Indonesia’s longest bridges located in Batam of Riau Islands. The bridge was built to connect Batam Island with others islands around such as Nipah Island, Tonton Island, Rempang Island, Galang Island, and Galang Baru Island.
Barelang Bridge has around 2,264 m in length, which was officially open in around 1997 and functions as a road bridge in common. Outside the road bridge, local people commonly use the bridge for tourist visits, which offers the most magnificent scenery around during sunset or sunrise.
4. Tayan Bridge
Tayan Bridge is one of the Indonesian longest bridges after the Suramadu and Pasupati bridges. It is located on Kalimantan Island, which sweeps West Borneo and Central Borneo in a part of the Trans-Kalimantan highway on the south route that is popular with some of the most isolated tribes in Indonesia.
Tayan Bridge has around 1,975 m of length that extend to sweep across the Kapuas River in Sanggau of West Kalimantan. The bridge shortened the driveway to cross the river compared to the ferries that are usually used by the road users there. It became busier from year to year since it was opened around 2016.
5. Balang Island Bridge
Balang Island Bridge is one of Indonesia’s longest bridges located in Balikpapan of East Kalimantan. This kind of bridge is swept over the Balikpapan bay that connected Balikpapan city with Balang Island in Penajam Paser Utara.
Balang Island Bridge has around 1,750 m in length and functions as a road bridge for everyone that crosses the bridge. The bridge is capable to shorten the distance, which used to need more than five hours, but now can be reduced to only one hour to cross the bay.
6. Teluk Mesjid Bridge
Teluk Mesjid Bridge is one of Indonesia’s longest bridges located in the Siak regency of the Riau Islands. The bridge has around 1,650 m in length that sweep across the Siak River in Riau.
Teluk Mesjid Bridge functions as the road bridge that becomes a popular arch bridge in Indonesia. It’s already featured by aerodynamics technology to get the dynamic wind through the bridge so it could be safer for the road users to use for a long time.
7. Ampera Bridge
Ampera Bridge is one of Indonesia’s longest bridges located in Palembang of South Sumatra, one of the biggest cities in Indonesia. This kind of bridge extends across the Musi River the longest river in South Sumatra.
Ampera Bridge has around 1,170 m in length that connected the Seberang Ulu and Seberang Ilir in Palembang. The bridge functions as a road bridge, just like a common bridge in Indonesia to shorten the distance from one region to another. Since it was opened in 1965 the bridge has never been empty from road users up until now.
8. Merah Putih Bridge
Merah Putih Bridge is one of Indonesia’s longest bridges located on Maluku Island. The bridge extends across Ambon bay that connected the Rumah Tiga Village in Sirimau Sub-district and Galala Village in Ambon Bay.
Merah Putih Bridge has around 1,140 m in length that was built to shorten the distance from Pattimura airport to Central Maluku in common that surrounded by Peninsulas. It takes only 30 minutes to drive through this bridge so it shortened the distance in a good way.
So, there are some of Indonesia’s longest bridges that extend some rivers, bays, straits, and even oceans. Most of them bring easier aces to most Indonesian road users to shorten the distance in areas in Indonesia.
Have you ever come across one of those bridges? Tell us which one that becomes your favorite so far.
