Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

Kota Kinabalu: Sabahans and Sarawakians can now use the Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Bridge (SHOAS) to enter neighbouring Brunei Darussalam.

The 26.3-km bridge – the longest in Asean – is now open to foreign vehicles not exceeding 3,500 in weight, according to a statement by the bridge’s management committee.

The committee jointly  chaired by Brunei’s Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications and Ministry of Development also stressed that private and commercial foreign in class II and V weighing over 3,500kg are not allowed to use the bridge except for those comparable to Brunei vehicle classes I, III, IV, VI and XII.

“Foreign vehicles weighing over 3,500kg are advised to use the Asean Highway 150 or AH150 (via Limbang) as usual,” the announcement stated.

Road users are advised to strictly observe the 100km per hour speed limit for normal vehicles and 80km per hour for commercial vehicles on the bridge.

The opening of SHOAS was long awaited by Sarawakians and Sabahans looking forward to shorten travelling distance between the two states via Brunei.

The bridge spans across the Brunei Bay, connecting Temburong District to Bandar Seri Begawan and was opened ahead of schedule on March 17, 2020.

But due to the Covid-19 restrictions only citizens were allowed to commute between Temburong and the rest of the sultanate while foreigners were barred from entering the country.