The Anderson Bridge is a short 70-metre vehicular bridge that spans over the Singapore River.
Located by the river’s mouth within the Downtown Core area of Singapore, the passage was named after the Governor of the Straits Settlements and the High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States.
Anderson Bridge, History, Plaque, Length, Built In & Location, Singapore
The history of the bridge dates back to 1901, which was when the Singapore River Commission suggested the creation of a new bridge to complement the Cavenagh Bridge, which could no longer serve the increasing pedestrian and vehicular traffic at the time. Cavenagh Bridge was also designed without the necessary height allowance that vessels needed to pass beneath it during the high tide.
By 1904, the Straits Settlements government mandated the municipality to draft the estimates and plans needed to build the bridge over the Singapore River mouth as opposed to enlarging Cavenagh Bridge. Municipal engineer Robert Pierce, together with his assistant D.M. Martin, were responsible for overseeing the construction of Anderson Bridge.
It features a basic arched structure made up of three steel arches, strong ribs, two archways, and a pier at the end. The Public Works Department constructed it from 1908 to 1910, using materials from Singapore as well as imported from Egypt and Britain.
The final bridge was renovated in 1987 as part of the plan to enhance the Singapore River.