Temburong Bridge
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Bridge (, Jawi: ), also known as Temburong Bridge (, Jawi: ), is a dual-carriageway bridge in
Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
that spans across Brunei Bay, connecting the Bruneian mainland with its semi-exclave of
Temburong District Temburong District (; Jawi script, Jawi: دائيره تمبوروڠ) or simply known as Temburong ('; ), is the second largest and least populated districts of Brunei, district in Brunei. It has an area of and the population of 9,444 as of 20 ...
. It is the longest bridge in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
, at long.


Design and features

The bridge features several unique architectural elements that reflect Brunei's cultural and religious identity. At the highest points,
star and crescent The conjoined representation of a star and a crescent is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some Muslims as a sym ...
symbols are prominently displayed, signifying Brunei as a Muslim state, similar to their placement atop mosque domes. Road signs featuring the three '' kalimahs'' (Islamic declarations) are strategically placed along the bridge to remind drivers to remember
Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
while travelling. The bridge's triangular, gem-like structure, resembling two hands holding firmly, symbolises the nation's strength and resilience. Additionally, a dome-like structure represents the unity of Brunei's four districts, emphasising national cohesion and harmony.


Construction

The 2006–2025 National Land Use Master Plan calls for increased connection between Brunei–Muara and Temburong Districts, citing the geographical isolation of the Temburong District as a developmental constraint. In 2012,
Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...
consultants conducted a feasibility study for a bridge link, which verified that the project was technically possible, fiscally viable, and environmentally manageable. After that, a thorough
environmental impact assessment Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental impact, environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the te ...
was put out to bid in September 2012. By June 2013, pre-qualification offers for construction were issued, encompassing important infrastructure such tunnels beneath the Subok ridgeline and sea viaducts. The bridge, which is anticipated to be finished by 2018, would complete a portion of the
Pan Borneo Highway The Pan-Borneo Highway () including the sections now known as the Pan Borneo Expressway, is a controlled-access highway on Borneo Island, connecting two Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak, with Brunei. The length of the entire highway is fo ...
and improve Temburong's growth, strengthening Brunei and
Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
's economic relations. The construction of the bridge was divided into six 'packages' or contracts. The first was CC1 or the Mentiri Tunnels which involved the construction of a series of tunnels through the Mentiri Ridges which connects Jalan Utama Mentiri, a controlled-access dual carriageway with Jalan Kota Batu. Other construction packages included CC2, CC3 and CC4 comprising marine viaducts, navigation bridges and Temburong viaduct respectively. CC2 and CC3 were awarded to Daelim, a South Korean company, which was responsible for constructing a system of
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...
s and two
cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which wire rope, cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or wikt:stay#Etymology 3, stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, norm ...
s that crosses the Brunei Bay. Meanwhile,
China State Construction Engineering The China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC; ) is a Chinese state-owned construction company headquartered in Beijing. It is the largest construction company in the world by revenue and the 8th largest general contractor in terms ...
was awarded the CC4 contract and was responsible for constructing the land viaduct which traverses the
mangrove swamp Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangrove trees cannot withs ...
of Labu Forest Reserve. CC5A and CC5B are the traffic control and survelliance system, and power supply system respectively. The project is reported to cost 1.6 billion Brunei dollars (US$1.2 billion as of March 2018). Construction on the bridge started in 2014 and was expected to be completed and opened by the end of 2019, but it ultimately opened during March 2020. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the bridge was opened ahead of schedule on 17 March 2020, a day after Brunei barred most non-resident foreigners from entering the country, and most citizens and residents from leaving, which would have otherwise disconnected Temburong from the rest of the country. On 14 July 2020, on the occasion of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah's 74th birthday, the bridge was named the Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Bridge in honour of the Sultan's late father, Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Saadul Khairi Waddien, who is widely regarded as the architect of modern Brunei.


Route

The road system is a controlled-access dual carriageway which begins at a grade-separated interchange with Jalan Utama Mentiri between the
Sungai Akar Kampong Sungai Akar () or commonly known as Sungai Akar, is a villages of Brunei, village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhoods of Bandar Seri Begawan, neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was ...
roundabout and the Salambigar intersection. The road then goes through two parallel tunnels and ends at another grade-separated interchange with Jalan Kota Batu. This section is long. The bridge then begins, with a viaduct across the Brunei Bay, passing across the tip of Pulau Berambang, then in between Pulau Pepatan and Pulau Baru-Baru, up to Tanjung Kulat in Temburong. Finally, another viaduct begins from Tanjung Kulat and ends at Jalan Labu, traversing through Labu Forest Reserve, and includes a bridge which crosses the Labu River, before intersecting with Jalan Labu at a roundabout. It connects Mengkubau and Sungai Besar in Brunei-Muara District with Labu Estate in
Temburong District Temburong District (; Jawi script, Jawi: دائيره تمبوروڠ) or simply known as Temburong ('; ), is the second largest and least populated districts of Brunei, district in Brunei. It has an area of and the population of 9,444 as of 20 ...
. This is the only road bridge in the country that directly links the mainland with the Temburong
exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
, which are physically separated by the
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
ian district of Limbang in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
and Brunei Bay in the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
. The bridge allows commuters to travel between the two territories without having to go through
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, bypassing four immigration checkpoints along the mainland route and shortening travel times between Temburong and the capital
Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a Municipalities of Brunei, municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei–Muara District, the s ...
. Previously, the only direct connection between the capital and Bangar, the district town, was via water taxi services, which took about 45 minutes.


Junction list


References


External links

{{commons category
Public Works Department portal
Bridges in Brunei Bridges completed in 2019 2020 establishments in Brunei Cross-sea bridges in Asia