Anderson Bridge (Singapore)

About

Anderson Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that spans across the Singapore River. It is located near the river's mouth in the Downtown Core Planning Area of Singapore's Central Area. Originally, the Cavenagh Bridge was the only bridge made to cross the Singapore River, prompting the need for a second bridge to help reduce the traffic along Cavenagh Bridge. In 1904, a committee was formed by the Municipal Commission to research a suitable location for a second bridge, eventually settling on an area by the Singapore River's mouth. The bridge was constructed over two years from 1908 to 1910, with the cost divided between the Commission and the British government. Two companies, Messrs. Howarth Erskine and Company and Westminster Construction Company Ltd, were given contracts for the construction, building the superstructure and the abutments, respectively. The bridge's steelworks were imported from England and a cofferdam was built to put the abutments in place. An electric crane lifted the three main girders of the bridge into place, which itself was built using a hydraulic plant. It was opened and named after governor of the Straits Settlements Sir John Anderson on 12 March 1910. In 1986, the bridge was among eight that got refurbished. Anderson Bridge was gazetted a national monument in 2019 alongside Cavenagh and Elgin Bridge, being collectively gazetted as the Singapore River Bridges. Two years later, Anderson Bridge was converted into a pedestrian bridge, with traffic being diverted to the Esplanade Bridge instead; it has remained as such ever since.

In the late 1800s, only one bridge, Cavenagh Bridge, served as the main link between the commercial area and the residential area across the Singapore River. Following an increase of both foot and vehicular traffic, a second bridge was needed to aid Cavenagh Bridge in managing the traffic across the river; Cavenagh Bridge was also too low for boats to travel under during high tide. Initial plans for a second way to cross the river had been previously discussed as early as 1901, where the results of the Singapore River Commission suggested either widening Cavenagh Bridge or building a new bridge. In 1902, municipal engineer Robert Peirce recommended the construction of a second bridge, but was unsuccessful. It was not until 1904, when the government formed a committee consisting of Peirce, municipal commissioner A. J. W. Watkins, and acting colonial engineer F. S. B. Gaffney, that research for the location of the second bridge began. In the end, the committee recommended an area near the mouth of the river, which was subsequently accepted by the government. The cost of the bridge was divided between the Commission and the British government, who contributed $100,000 and $137,000, respectively. The Tramway Company contributed $3,000 as a grant for running electricity across the bridge. In October 1907, the Municipal Commission awarded the contract for the superstructure of the new bridge to Messrs. Howarth Erskine and Company, at the cost of $25,000.

Construction on the bridge began in 1908, with the bridge's design created by Peirce and D. M. Martia with supervision from H. Gostwyck. To help create the three main girders of the bridge, a building strengthened with a steel structure was built nearby. Once built, the girders rose to more than 30 feet (9.1 m) above the roadway. Furthermore, two abutments, created under a contract by the Westminster Construction Company Ltd, were made to position the girders. The abutments required the construction of a cofferdam, consisting of guide piles that were driven into the riverbed for the cofferdam's sheeting. On the southern side, due to several loose boulders above bedrock, precautions were made to either prevent the water from leaking through or prevent the weight from pushing the cofferdam out into the river. To further avoid the loose ground, stout piles were added to help stabilise the land. Once the completed girders were added, the Westminster Construction Company Ltd constructed the remaining footpaths, roadways, designs in the arches, and other general maintenance work. Archways were constructed with granite that had grooves at each joint, further including moulded copings and a bronze lion on the top of each archway. Portals that extended from the road to the top of the copings were added, which were 23 by 9 feet (7.0 m × 2.7 m), while the roadways were 31.6 feet (9.6 m) wide and supported by fixed cantilevers.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.