Highway bridge linking N China, Russia to start construction

A highway bridge connecting China and Russia over the Heilongjiang River will start construction Saturday, about 28 years after it was first proposed, local authorities announced Thursday.

The 19.9 kilometer highway bridge, the first connecting the two countries, stretches from Heihe, a border town in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province, to the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk.

At an estimated cost of 2.47 billion yuan (355.6 million U.S. dollars), the bridge will open to traffic in October 2019, according to Pan Yang, an official at Heilongjiang traffic department.

Governments from both sides plan to set up a joint venture company to take charge of operation, maintainance and toll fee management, said Tian Lin, head of Heilongjiang highway construction bureau. Endi