August deadline for Pandaruan bridge

Pandaruan Friendship Bridge expected to be completed before 2013 ASEAN Summit which Brunei will host

THE construction of the bridge over Pandaruan river, which officially began yesterday in Limbang, Sarawak, is expected to be completed by August next year three months before the 2013 ASEAN Summit which will be hosted by Brunei.

The bridge dubbed the Pandaruan Friendship Bridge will be a symbol of collaborative success between Brunei and Malaysia, according to a Kuala Lumpur representative.

The yet to be named bridge is a project under the Malaysia's Works Ministry and Brunei's Ministry of Development.

The construction of the bridge was tendered out to contractors from both countries, with Pekerjaan Piasau Konkerit Sdn Bhd from Malaysia as the successful bidder.

The Malaysian company was awarded the contract on April 16.

The Ministry of Communications Permanent Secretary is confident that the Brunei-Malaysia Pandaruan bridge will be completed before the November, 2013, summit saying "it will follow the schedule".

Dato Paduka Hj Alaihuddin Pehin Orang Kaya DiGadong Seri Lela Dato Seri Utama Hj Mohd Taha headed the Brunei delegation to Limbang for the bridge ground-breaking ceremony at the border of Limbang yesterday.

The bridge will be 189.126 metres in length and 14 metres in width.

The funding for the $10 million bridge will be shared equally between the two countries, however the cost for the construction of approach roads from Limbang Immigration and Control Post and Puni Customs and Immigration control post in Temburong will be funded by the respective governments.

In an interview with The Brunei Times on the sidelines of the ceremony, Dato Hj Alaihuddin said: "The piling (for the approach road) will start at the end of this month. The tender has been opened and, InsyaAllah, it will follow the schedule".

Dato Hj Alaihuddin, who is also the co-chairman for the Joint Project Team (JPT), said the Brunei project contractor would be chosen according to criteria set by the team.

The co-chairman of the Joint Project Team from Malaysia, Datuk Himmat Singh who is also the Secretary General of the country's Works Ministry was also present at the ground-breaking ceremony. "The Joint Project Team had met five times and the results were what we could see today," he said.

Both countries agreed that the construction of the no-toll bridge was important, said Dato Hj Alaihuddin.

"With the increase in cross-border traffic for various purposes, the bridge will facilitate connectivity, increase transport and logistic activities and create a spin-off for the (Temburong) district especially in socio-economic and tourism activities," he added.

The bridge will also help Brunei play its role in ASEAN's master plan on connectivity, which has become one of the central points of ASEAN's goal of realising a single ASEAN community by 2015.The Brunei Times