Merdeka Bridge or ''Jambatan Merdeka'' is a major bridge in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It is situated in Jalan Butterworth-Sungai Petani ( Federal Route ) at the

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...

Border on

Muda River The Muda River ( ms, Sungai Muda) is the longest river in Kedah, Malaysia. Course Sourced in Ulu Muda Forest in Sik region in northeastern Kedah, along the border with Thailand, the river provides water supply to the states of Kedah and Penang. ...

History

It was constructed between 1955 and 1957. The bridge was officially opened in 1957, when

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

achieved its independence from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, hence its name. The bridge was initially a 2-lane single carriageway bridge before being duplicated on another side for Penang-bound traffic to increase traffic capacity.

Features

It is a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

tied arch bridge A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward horizontal forces of the arch(es) caused by tension at the arch ends to a foundation are countered by equal tension of its own gravity plus any element of the total deck structure such grea ...

References

Bridges completed in 1957 Bridges in Kedah Bridges in Penang Tied arch bridges {{Malaysia-bridge-struct-stub