![Jembatan Barelang-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Jembatan_Barelang-2.jpg)
The Barelang Bridge (
Jawi:جمبتن باريلڠ ; ; id, Jembatan Barelang) is a chain of 6
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
s of various types that connect the islands of
Batam,
Rempang, and
Galang, Riau Islands built in 1997. ''Barelang'' also refers to the islands themselves, which are all administratively part of the municipality of Batam.
The smaller islands of Tonton, Nipah, and Setotok (considered parts of the Batam island group) connect Batam and Rempang, while a further small island - Galang Baru - is connected at the southern end of the chain. The entire Barelang region covers 715 km².
Some locals call the bridge ''Jembatan Habibie'' after
Jusuf Habibie
Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (; 25 June 1936 – 11 September 2019) was an Indonesian engineer and politician who was the third president of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999. Less than three months after his inauguration as the seventh Vice Preside ...
, who oversaw the project in construction, aiming to transform the Rempang and Galang islands into
industrial sites (resembling present-day Batam).
The concept design for the 6 bridges were proposed by Bruce Ramsay of VSL.
Habibie had requested that the designs should be based on a variation of different structural bridge types, in order to introduce & develop new bridge design & building technologies for the Indonesian market.
![EUR_500_reverse_(2002_issue)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/EUR_500_reverse_%282002_issue%29.jpg)
Over time the bridge sites have grown more into a
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural b ...
rather than just a
transportation route.
The full stretch of all 6 bridges total to 2 kilometers. Travelling from the first bridge to the last is about 50 km and takes about 50 minutes. Construction of the bridges started in 1992 and took names from fifteenth to eighteenth-century rulers of the
Riau Sultanate
Riau-Lingga Sultanate ( Malay/ Indonesian: کسلطانن رياوليڠݢ, ''Kesultanan Riau-Lingga''), also known as the Lingga-Riau Sultanate, Riau Sultanate or Lingga Sultanate was a Malay sultanate that existed from 1824 to 1911, before ...
.
Bridges
*Tengku Fisabilillah Bridge, connects Batam and Tonton island. It stretches for 642 meters and is the most popular bridge of all, being a
cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern o ...
with two 118 m high pylons and main span 350 m.
*Nara Singa Bridge, a
cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...
with total length 420 m and main span 160 m, connects Tonton island with Nipah island.
*Ali Haji Bridge, a
girder bridge
A girder bridge is a bridge that uses girders as the means of supporting its deck. The two most common types of modern steel girder bridges are plate and box.
The term "girder" is often used interchangeably with "beam" in reference to bridge de ...
with total length 270 m and main span 45 m, connects Nipah island with Setoko island.
*Sultan Zainal Abidin Bridge, a cantilever bridge with total length 365 m and main span 145 m, connects Setoko island with Rempang island.
*Tuanku Tambusai Bridge, an
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
with total length 385 m and main span 245 m, connects Rempang island with Galang island The road deck was constructed using the incremental launching method, whereby the deck was constructed on the bridge approach and then launched horizontally by the use of hydraulic jacks with special sliding bearings out over the previously constructed arch.
*Raja Kecik Bridge, the smallest bridge with a total length of 180m, connects Galang island with Galang Baru island.
References
External links
Your best Batam Island Info guide
{{Tourist attractions in Indonesia
Bridges completed in 1997
Bridges in Indonesia
Cable-stayed bridges in Indonesia
Arch bridges
Cantilever bridges
Road bridges
Concrete bridges
Buildings and structures in the Riau Islands
Transport in the Riau Islands