Hundreds of Drivers Have Been Stranded on the Trans-Sumatra Highway for a Week

MUARA BUNGO, KOMPAS - For a week now, hundreds of freight drivers have been stranded on the road due to the collapse of the National Sumatra Cross Road in Bungo Regency, Jambi. As of Saturday morning (8/3/2025), the temporary bridge prepared to connect access between Jambi Province and West Sumatra has not yet been completed.

The queue of vehicles stretched for kilometers along that route. Most of the drivers of those transport vehicles had been waiting for a week. They endured the wait for the reopening of the Trans-Sumatra National Road (Jalinsum) to be able to pass through the main route connecting the two provinces.

"We have been forced to wait for a week on this road, unable to pass," said Dedy (50), a driver transporting mineral water and sundry goods from Bogor.

The drivers cannot take the alternative routes provided by the traffic police. This is because the transport vehicles they operate generally have large tonnage, namely over 10 tons. Such tonnage is prohibited from passing through alternative routes.

Dedy arrived in Bungo on Sunday (2/3/2025) after a two-day journey from Bogor Regency, West Java. Upon reaching Jalinsum near the Jambi-West Sumatra border in the Bungo area, he was shocked to find a landslide that caused Jalinsum to collapse.

"If we want to turn back, it is no longer possible because the journey has been very long, and we are just a little away from reaching the Sumbar border," he continued.

We were forced to wait, it had been a week on this road, we still couldn't get through.

For a week, the transport drivers endured. "Sometimes we sleep on the side of this road, sometimes in the car seats. We borrow facilities to shower and use the restroom at nearby shops," said Samsul, another driver.

Due to the road access being cut off, travel costs have ballooned to cover the food needs of drivers and their assistants for a week. Therefore, they hope that the Jalinsum access can be reopened as soon as possible.

Jambi Police Traffic Director Senior Commissioner Dhafi said that large-tonnage transport drivers were directed to turn around towards Kerinci-South Solok. This national road is relatively wide and can be passed by large-tonnage transport. However, he admitted that the route is quite prone to accidents because the terrain is winding and steep.

One of the drivers of transportation carrying food supplies from Padang to Jambi, Ali, assessed that, in addition to being steep, the alternative route of Kerinci-Solok Selatan is far so that fuel costs will increase if drivers use that route. "Most drivers end up choosing to just wait here even if it takes days. Because of this, we ask that the road be repaired quickly," he said.

Head of the Jambi National Road Maintenance Agency (BPJN) Ibnu Kurniawan said that Jalinsum is estimated to be passable on Sunday (9/3/2025). He admitted that there was a delay due to the delayed installation of the Bailey Bridge. This was because the weather conditions were not good and the assembly process took time. Workers at the location had to stop work for 1.5 days because heavy rain fell again at the location.

In addition, the assembly of the emergency bridge took more time because there was a double steel frame installation. "Previously we planned to install single steel, then there was a change to double steel, so that it would be more durable up to 20 tons," he said.

The Trans-Sumatra National Road collapsed due to heavy rain. Traffic activity on the main road connecting West Sumatra and Jambi was completely paralyzed. The location is in Tukum Village, Jujuhan District, Bungo, not far from the border of Bungo and Dharmasraya, West Sumatra. The road collapsed along 12 meters because the culvert underneath was not strong enough to accommodate the water discharge due to high rainfall.

Fitria Susanti, the owner of a stall on the collapsed road, said the disaster occurred on Sunday (2/3/2025) afternoon. In the morning, the area was hit by heavy rain. The river flow under the bridge was very strong. At around 14.00 WIB, Susanti, who was sitting in front of her stall, was shocked to hear a loud noise from the road. The edge of the bridge collapsed, followed by all other parts until the road was completely cut off.

Her house, which was right on the edge of the road, also collapsed. She screamed for her two children to save themselves. "Apparently other residents were also shocked. The road collapsed, our house also collapsed," she said. She hopes for government assistance for the disaster.