The project, costing RM9.2 million with each both governments paying half, was given to a Malaysian contractor. The groundbreaking for the bridge was held on 14 October 2004 by the prime ministers of both countries. Construction was delayed, especially on the Thai side, with escalations in the insurgency in nearby Thai provinces, and it took 11 months of work to be completed 3 years later. It was officially opened on 21 December 2007 by the Malaysian prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and the Thai prime minister, Surayud Chulanont.[2]