Construction work has started on a cross-border road bridge that will link China and Russia, the first of its kind on the trans-boundary river Heilongjiang.
Work on the bridge that will connect the northeastern Chinese city of Heihe and the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk began on Saturday, December 24.
China News Service says passenger and cargo volume across the border river are expected to reach 1.48 million people and 3.09 million tonnes by 2020, increasing by two and 10 times respectively.
The idea of building the bridge was first proposed in 1988, but only began to materialise when the two local governments decided in 2013 to establish a joint venture company to finance the construction. The company will borrow money to finance the construction and pay the debt by charging a toll. The bridge will cost 2.47 billion yuan and is expected to be completed in October 2019.
The 1,283 meter-long bridge, when fully operational, will increase connectivity between the two countries and increase the infrastructure of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
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