The Tanjong Rhu Bridge is a pedestrian-only footbridge spanning over the Geylang River in Tanjong Rhu, Singapore. Opened in July 1998, it connects residents of various condominiums near the Tanjong Rhu Promenade to facilities in the Singapore Sports Hub, such as the National Stadium, the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the Water Sports Centre near the Kallang Basin, and other facilities.
| Bridge Name: | Tanjong Rhu Bridge |
| Carries: | Pedestrians |
| Crosses: | Geylang River |
| Locale: | Tanjong Rhu |
| Owner: | Land Transport Authority |
| Maint: | Land Transport Authority |
| Material: | Steel and concrete |
| Length: | 180m |
| Width: | 4m |
| Height: | 19m |
| Mainspan: | 2 |
| Number Spans: | 102 |
| Spans: | 100 |
| Lanes: | 1 |
| Designer: | Public Works Department |
| Engineering: | Murray North (SEA) Ltd. |
| Begin: | 1996 (expected) |
| Complete: | July 1998 |
| Cost: | $5.1-million SDG |
| Open: | 4 August 1998 |
| Opening: | 4 August 1998 |
| Mapframe: | yes |
| Starts: | Tanjong Rhu Promenade |
| Ends: | Singapore Sports Hub |
Tanjong Rhu was a shipyard hub until 1985 when the Singapore government forced the shipyards to either move to Jurong, close down, or comply with strict pollution regulations due to the waterfront being polluted, which interfered with the government's plans of building luxurious condominiums in the area.[1] As a part of the rebranding of Tanjong Rhu, the Tanjong Rhu Bridge was designed by the Public Works Department (later privatised as the CPG Corporation) with assistance from engineering firm Murray North (SEA) Ltd and restressing works by OVM Prestress (an associate company of Wee Poh Holdings who was awarded the contract for the prestress of the bridge in 1997).[2] Construction was expected to start in 1996[3] and was completed in July 1998. The bridge was officially opened on August 4, 1998, by Koo Tsai Kee, then parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of National Development.[4]
The idea of a 'commercial village' in the Singapore Sports Hub near the bridge and the Kallang River was first announced in 1994, with tendering expected by 1996. The plan was that restaurants and water sport shops would be established to provide a "Boat Quay type-atmosphere" so "[people] can enjoy the waterfront". In December 1997, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced that the commercial sites in the village were to be on sale within the next few years when there are residents. It was speculated to commence operations once the bridge was opened.[5] Additionally, the URA explored the possibilities of introducing family activities such as canoeing and boating in December 1997.
The Tanjong Rhu Bridge is a pedestrian-only steel suspension footbridge that is 180m (590feet) long, with its deck being 130m (430feet) long and 4m (13feet) wide. It has a 19m (62feet) tall A-frame tower located on both ends of the bridge that connects the two 4.5inches thick main suspension cables to each side. Connected to the suspension cables are a hundred 1inches thick hangar cables which also connects to the bridge's deck. It was designed to be a suspension bridge for aesthetics rather than functionality. Normally, suspension bridges are used for wide rivers as they utilised deflection theory.[6] However, the Public Works Department chose a suspension bridge design as they planned for it to be a point of interest in Tanjong Rhu, essentially "a mini-version of other famous suspension bridges in San Francisco and New York", such as the Golden Gate Bridge.[7]
It connects the Tanjong Rhu Promenade with the nearby 'commercial village' of the Singapore Sports Hub.