KUALA TERENGGANU: Work on an iconic drawbridge in the centre of the city here is progressing rapidly, and is expected to be completed by September this year.
Running across the Sungai Terengganu estuary, the drawbridge will connect the city centre in the south to Seberang Takir in the north.
The RM248 million facility will be complemented by a highway which will cut travel time between the city centre and the Sultan Mahmud Airport to just 10 minutes.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman said the drawbridge is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, and is being constructed in collaboration with the East Coast Region Corridor Development Council (ECERDC).
“The drawbridge will be a new landmark for Terengganu.
“Once operational, it will also help reduce peak-hour traffic at the Sultan Mahmud bridge,” he said.
Razif added that areas surrounding the drawbridge will also be developed, with boat docking facilities; a 30-storey Kuala Terengganu City Council tower; and a Kuala Terengganu City Centre Mall with 200 shops, a 10-screen cineplex and a 48-lane bowling centre in the pipeline.
Soon, road users from Kuala Terengganu can choose between using the Sultan Ismail bridge (Pulau Rusa-Manir), Bukit Losong bridge (Losong-Teluk Pasu), Sultan Mahmud bridge (Kuala Terengganu-Bukit Tunggal) and the drawbridge to go to Kuala Nerus, Razif said.