BAGAN DATUK, Oct 7 — The Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah today opened the Bagan Datuk bridge here and consented to it being named Sultan Nazrin Shah Bridge.

The approximately 1.5-kilometre-long bridge, but at a cost of RM460 million, spans across the Perak River.

Sultan Nazrin, accompanied by Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, was greeted on arrival at the event by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is Bagan Datuk Member of Parliament, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.

Also in attendance were the Raja Dihilir Perak Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris and the Raja Muda Perak Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid, in his speech, said the opening of the Sultan Nazrin Shah Bridge would attract more people to visit the Bagan Datuk district, hence providing the locals with economic and social spillover effect.

It has also ended the long wait for the bridge by the locals and is a relief to them now that they can enjoy a shorter travel distance of 50 kilometres or more than one hour, he said, adding that the ground-breaking ceremony for the bridge was held in 2017.

He said the Sultan Nazrin Shah Bridge is also an icon and pride of the people in Bagan Datuk as it had been entered in The Malaysia Book of Records 2023 as the Longest Elevated Pile Slab Carriageway and the Most Pile Points on Elevated Pile Slab Carriageway. — Bernama