The bridge is named after Tan Kim Seng, who was a Singaporean businessman and philanthropist from the Peranakan ethnic group.

It marks the start of the Singapore River to its mouth.

[1] Colloquially, Kim Seng Bridge is also known as Hong Hin Kio (丰 兴 桥) in Hokkien and Fung Heng Lo (also 丰 兴 桥) in Cantonese.

Due to increased traffic on the bridge, a new bridge was built on the original site by contractors Ewart and Company in 1951 with a budget of $370,000.

[2] The new bridge consisted of prestressed concrete and steel.