MUARA PORT, Brunei, May 6 -- The Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDS) and China Harbor Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) on Wednesday signed a contract and held a groundbreaking ceremony here for the construction of Pulau Muara Besar Bridge, Road and Utilities in the country.

The 204 million U.S. dollar-contract was awarded to CHEC, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company Limited ( CCCC) through an open tender process.

The development of Pulau Muara Besar Bridge, Road and Utilities project involves a construction of a 2.7 km bridge that connects the mainland to the western shore of Pulau Muara Besar, a 2.925 km main road on Pulau Muara Besar, an approaching road along Jalan Perusahaan and utilities comprising of power lines, telecommunication lines, untreated and treated water supplies.

Once the project is completed, it will be able to attract more foreign direct investments particularly in the area of petrochemical and related downstream oil and gas industries. This project, scheduled to complete by 2018, is another strategic infrastructure project undertaken by the BEDB to transform Pulau Muara Besar into a world-class industrial park, said BEDB in a statement.

CHEC is a world-renowned construction company with over 35 years of experience in the field of infrastructure construction including bridges and roads, marine engineering, dredging and reclamation, railways and airports.