Opened in 1981, the Benjamin Sheares Bridge (Chinese: 薛尔思桥, Pinyin: Xūeěrsī Qíao; Malay: Jambatan Benjamin Sheares) is the longest bridge in Singapore, spanning 1.8 km, and the tallest, at 20 m. It is named after Dr Benjamin Henry Sheares, the second president of the Republic, who died four months before the bridge was opened to the public. The bridge was once part of the East Coast Parkway, but it is currently downgraded to an arterial road, Sheares Avenue.