BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Mar 18 (NNN-BBNEWS) – Brunei on Tuesday (yesterday), inaugurated the cross-sea Temburong Bridge, linking the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan with the Temburong district.
To curb the spread of COVID-19, Brunei banned all residents from leaving the country and decided to open the Temburong Bridge.
The Brunei government said, the country’s total cases of COVID-19 have risen to 56. With a population of about 440,000, the incidence rate has exceeded one in 10,000.
Temburong has been geographically isolated from the rest of Brunei, which has hindered the economic growth of the district. The sea-crossing Temburong Bridge is one of the key national balanced development projects, promoted by the Brunei government, and also the largest bridge construction project ever built in Brunei.
“Before, transportation and people-to-people communication between the capital and Temburong district had to pass Malaysian territory, which is not convenient and not helpful to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the Sultanate,” said Jin Chunshang, manager from the China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited (CSCEC), a contractor responsible for the CC4 section of the bridge.
According to the manager, the CC4 section, constructed since Oct 1, 2015, spans 12 km in length, including a fully prefabricated viaduct, which crosses Brunei’s uninhabited forests and swamps.
The manager said, the construction condition was “very harsh.” To protect the environment, the CC4 section was constructed with the “fishing technology,” which allows the mechanical equipment not to touch the ground and the rain forest vegetation.
“After the bridge is opened, travel time between the two places can be cut from two hours to 15 minutes, which is of great significance to the social and economic development of Brunei,” he added.
Wang Xiaolin, president of the Chinese Enterprise Association in Brunei and general manager of Bank of China Brunei Branch, said, the Temburong Bridge is the largest and most influential transportation infrastructure project in Brunei, and it will become a new landmark in the country.
The 30-km bridge is the longest bridge in Southeast Asia, followed by Malaysia’s 24-km Second Penang Bridge.– NNN-BBNEWS
