Merdeka Bridge Opened
Friday, 17th August 1956
Nicoll Highway and its linking Merdeka Bridge, located in the Central Region of Singapore, were declared open by Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock, amid much ceremony on 17 August, 1956. Nicoll Highway was named after former Governor of Singapore Sir John Nicoll.
Two stone lion statues were commissioned by the Public Works Department (PWD) during the construction of the bridge. They are identical in design (their heads are turned slightly to the right) and cast from the same mold. They were name after the bridge as "the Merdeka Lions".