Ampera Bridge (Indonesian: Jembatan Ampera, for Amanat Penderitaan Rakyat [Mandate of People's Suffering], a now-rarely used colloquial name for the preamble of the Constitution of Indonesia), formerly Bung Karno Bridge (Indonesian: Jembatan Bung Karno, after President Sukarno) between its opening and the 1966 De-Sukarnoization campaign, is a vertical-lift bridge in the city of Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia.
However, at the time, Japan had no bridges of this type, and Fuji Heavy Industries had no bridge-building experience.
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.