AMPERA BRIDGE TO SERVE AS ICON OF TOURISM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 6 (Antara) - South Sumatra's well-known Ampera Bridge which spans 1,177 meters over the Musi River in Palembang City will be transformed into a tourism icon for the province.          As a busy landmark, the bridge, which connects the Seberang Ulu and Seberang Ilir areas of the Palembang city, will be closed to vehicles during the night time and serve as a center of culinary delicacies for local and foreign tourists.          Transforming the Ampera Bridge into a culinary tourism center is expected to attract many local and foreign tourists and boost South Sumatra's tourism development.          "South Sumatra's tourism industry will develop rapidly if many tourists visit this region," South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin said when providing a first lecture at a new tourism polytechnic school in Palembang on Friday (Sept 2) last week.          According to Wikipedia, 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.