Ampera Bridge

The Ampera bridge opened in 1965 across the Musi at Palembang, funded from Japanese war reparations and built by a Japanese contractor, and it was designed as a vertical-lift bridge: a central span of some seventy metres could be raised between two towers to let large vessels through, taking about half an hour. It was lifted regularly until 1970, then rarely, and since 1990 the lifting machinery has been removed and the span is fixed - the towers remain as the bridge's signature and are lit at night, but the mechanism they were built for is gone. The name is a contraction of Amanat Penderitaan Rakyat, the mandate of the people's suffering, a Sukarno-era slogan. Below it the Musi carries river traffic past the Kuto Besak fort and the floating restaurants, and pempek stalls line the banks.

What you actually see

• Two lift towers - the machinery removed, the span now permanently fixed.
• A war-reparations project - Japanese-funded and built, opened in 1965.
• The Musi river traffic - boats, floating restaurants and the fort on the bank.
• Night illumination - the towers lit, which is the local evening view.

When to go

All year; evening for the lighting. An hour or two.

Honest expectations

The bridge does not lift and has not since 1970 - visitors expecting a working lift bridge are disappointed. The river is polluted. Traffic across it is heavy and the walkways are narrow.

Nearby

Benteng Kuto Besak and the Musi waterfront are at the northern end.