Ampera Bridge

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mpera Bridge is a Vertical-lift bridge in the city of Palembang, South Sumatra,Indonesia, which is the landmark of the city. It connects Seberang Ulu and Seberang Ilir, two regions of Palembang.

The bridge was planned during the era of Indonesia's first president, who wanted a bridge that could open and be a match for London's Tower Bridge. The funds for the construction came from Japanese war reparations, with the Fuji Car Manufacturing Co. Ltd being given responsibility for design and construction. However, at the time, Japan had no bridges of this type, and Fuji Car had no bridge-building experience. The official opening was carried out by Minister/Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Ahmad Yani on 30 September 1965, only hours before he was killed by troops belonging to the 30 September Movement. At first, the bridge was known as the Bung Karno Bridge, after the president, but following his fall, it was renamed the Ampera Bridge.

Jembatan Ampera in Old day

For a few years after it was opened, the center span could be lifted at 10 meters per second to allow ships of up to 44.5m in height to pass underneath. However this only occurred a few times, and after 1970 it could no longer be opened. The official reason for this was that the 30 minutes needed to raise the bridge was causing unacceptable delays, and that in any case silting of the river had made it impassable for large ships. However, according to architect Wiratman, who acted as a consultant before the construction, the design of the bridge was flawed from the outset because of the soft mud on which it was built. He maintains that his concerns were ignored for political reasons, and that as the towers' foundations shifted, the bridge deformed to the extent that it could no longer be opened. The ballast weights needed to balance the wight of the bridge were removed in 1990 to prevent possible accidents were they to fall.

Structure

Ampera Nowaday

length : 1.117 m  (the middle 71,90 m)

width : 22 m

height : 11.5 m

height of the Tower : 63 m

range between the towers : 75 m

weight : 944 ton

Feature

In the beginning, the middle of the body of this bridge can be lifted to the top of the mast in order not to get caught passing underneath the bridge entity. The center of the bridge can be removed with mechanical equipment, two pendulum weights each about 500 tons in the two towers. Appointment velocity of about 10 meters per minute with a total time necessary to fully lift the bridge for 30 minutes.

         At the center of the bridge lifted, the vessels of 60 meters wideand with a maximum height of 44.50 meters, can pass the RiverMusi. When the center of the bridge is not lifted, the maximum height that the ship could pass under the bridge Ampera only ninefeet of water surface.

Since 1970, the activity up and down the middle of this bridge is not done anymore. The reason, the time used to lift the bridge is considered to disrupt the flow of traffic on it.

In 1990, the pendulum weights on the bridge tower was lowered to avoid the collapse of both the burden of this ballast.