Barelang Bridge

Barelang Bridge (Indonesian: Jembatan Barelang) is a chain of 6 bridges of various types built in 1997 that connect the Rempang-Galang island group in the Riau Archipelago with the principal island of Batam to its north. The smaller islands of Tonton, Nipah, and Setotok (considered parts of the Batam island group) connect Batam and Rempang, while a further small island - Galang Baru - is connected at the southern end of the chain. The entire Barelang region covers 715 square kilometres (276 sq mi). Some locals call the bridge Jembatan Habibie after Jusuf Habibie, who oversaw the project in construction, aiming to transform the Rempang and Galang islands into industrial sites (resembling present-day Batam). The concept design for the 6 bridges were proposed by Bruce Ramsay of VSL. Habibie had requested that the designs should be based on a variation of different structural bridge types, in order to introduce & develop new bridge design & building technologies for the Indonesian market. Over time the bridge sites have grown more into a tourist attraction rather than just a transportation route, and the expected economic benefits have not materialized. The full stretch of all 6 bridges total to 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). Travelling from the first bridge to the last is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) and takes about 50 minutes. Construction of the bridges started in 1992 and took names from fifteenth to eighteenth-century rulers of the Riau Sultanate.