Chinese company completes contracted section of giant cross-sea bridge in Brunei

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The CC4 package of the mega Temburong Bridge linking Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan and Temburong district has been completed, a manager from the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited (CSCEC), said on Thursday.

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

According to Manager Jin Chunshang, started on Oct. 1, 2015, the CC4 section constructed by CSCEC is about 12 kilometers in length, including a fully prefabricated viaduct of about 11.8 kilometers long, which crosses Brunei's uninhabited forests and swamps.

The manager told Xinhua that the construction environment of the CC4 section was "very harsh". Besides the harmful air in the rainforest, hot and humid weather in the field, the Chinese constructors together with hundreds of workers from several other countries had to overcome the difficulty of no freshwater, no power wires, and no network signals in the early stage of construction.

To protect the environment, the CC4 section is fully constructed using the "fishing technology", which allows mechanical equipment to not touch the ground and does not damage the rainforest vegetation.

Wang Xiaolin, president of the Chinese Enterprise Association in Brunei and general manager of Bank of China Brunei Branch, said that the Temburong Bridge is the largest and most influential transportation infrastructure project in Brunei and will become a new landmark in Brunei.

The CC4 section is the most difficult in the entire bridge construction as it needs to cross rainforests and swamps without affecting the environment, he added.

"The successful completion of the CC4 section fully demonstrates the technological strength and innovation capability of Chinese companies, and has generated good economic and social results," Wang told Xinhua on Thursday.

The 30-km bridge aims to reduce travelling time between Brunei's capital and Temburong district from two hours to less than 30 minutes by bypassing Malaysia's Limbang.

It will become the longest bridge in Southeast Asia followed by Malaysia's 24-km Second Penang Bridge.