It is shaped like a tongkang (a light boat used commonly in the early days to carry goods along rivers), and is situated near the former Alkaff Quay.

The bridge was built in 1997, as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) plan to create a promenade along both banks of the Singapore River.

The Alkaff Bridge was painted in January 2004[2] in vibrant colours by Filipino artist Pacita Abad (1946–2004) and a team of rope specialists.

[3] The Land Transport Authority gives its support and the Singapore Tourism Board and City Developments Limited provide working capital for the project.

Professional Industrial Rope Access Services Pte Ltd (PIRAS) agrees to paint the Bridge at a subsidized rate and Michelle Tan agrees to be the project manager Pacita works with Visual Media Works to transform her colorful hand-painted Bridge sketches into detailed computerized workplans for the painters to follow.