KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 14 — The Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin launched the Kuala Terengganu Drawbridge tonight in conjunction with his 60th birthday celebrations.
Also present were the Sultanah of Terengganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah and the Yang Di-Pertuan Muda of Terengganu Tengku Muhammad Ismail Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the iconic bridge has had a major impact on the development of the state and has become its latest tourism product.
“This is proven through the recognition from the Malaysian Tourism Council Gold Awards 2019 as the Best New Tourism Icon,” he said in his speech at the ceremony.
He said as of July, a total of 379,900 visitors had visited the drawbridge.
On behalf of the state government, Ahmad Samsuri expressed appreciation to the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) for its contribution to the planning and implementation of the drawbridge project.
The drawbridge has provided new economic opportunities to more than 100 new entrepreneurs, especially those from the B40 group, he added.
Construction work began in Aug 2014 and in Aug 2019 it was opened to the public.
The RM249 million project consists of a bridge spanning 838 metres in length, four towers and two sky bridges and is the first drawbridge in Southeast Asia.
