Benjamin Sheares Bridge

Image: East Coast Parkway (ECP) (Benjamin Sheares Bridge), Flyer, Bayfront and Helix Bridges | @kfcatles via Flickr and licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

It is Singapore’s longest bridge with the highest elevation, and so special to Singaporeans that its Instagram page is packed with happy shots of people enjoying it.

The iconic Benjamin Sheares Bridge spans the mouth of the Singapore River and Marina Bay and was named in honour of Dr Benjamin Henry Sheares, the second President of Singapore.

Image: The Benjamin Sheares Bridge under construction (1977-1980) | G P Reichelt Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

Built by the Public Works Department, the bridge was opened on 26 September 1981 as part of our second expressway, the East Coast Parkway, to provide a high-capacity link to the central area for Singapore's satellite towns in the east and Changi Airport -- six years before the MRT system first began operations.

Construction of this bridge, with eight lanes and footpaths on each side, started in 1977. The elevated bridge was gradually raised by columns, piers, and tapered “H”-shaped trestles in reinforced concrete. The structure is 29m at the highest point and the trestles that support the bridge were specially designed to facilitate the passage of ships underneath, to and from the shipyards that used to operate at Kallang Basin.

With panoramic views of the Singapore River, the civic district and the CBD, the Benjamin Sheares Bridge reminds us of our past, when the river was a centre of trade, and showcases our progress over the years. Its function has shifted from expressway to arterial road with the opening of the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) on 29 Dec 2013 — but its role has grown as a spectacular space for community memories: watching National Day fireworks, running marathons, celebrating festivities and family time in the shorelines beneath. #HEREitage #builtheritage

Image: Singapore Skyline around Gardens by the Bay | Eustaquio Santimano, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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