Brunei names mega bridge

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (Xinhua) — The mega Temburong Bridge, partly built by a Chinese company, linking Brunei’s capital Bandar Seri Begawan and its Temburong district was officially named as the “Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge” on Tuesday evening.

Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah announced the decision to name the newly opened sea-crossing bridge during a nationally televised speech on his 74th birthday celebration, which falls on Wednesday. The Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien was the father of the monarch, who is also widely recognized as the Architect of Modern Brunei.

Temburong district has been physically isolated from the rest of Brunei, which has hindered the economic growth of the district. The sea-crossing bridge is one of the key national balanced development projects promoted by the Brunei government, which is also the largest bridge construction project ever in the history of Brunei.

In his speech, the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah stated that the Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge’ is the most prominent symbol of Brunei’s modernization.

Partly built by a Chinese company.

The 30-km bridge aims to reduce traveling time between Brunei’s capital and Temburong district from two hours to about 15 minutes by bypassing Malaysia’s Limbang. Construction of the bridge started in 2014 and was officially opened in March 2020. The bridge was jointly built by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a Chinese state-owned company, and Daelim, a South Korean company.