The northeastern Jilin province plans to invest CNY137 million (US$21.78 million) on building a new Tumen River Bridge, linking China and North Korea, according to Jilin Provincial Yanji Economic and Technological Cooperation Bureau.
About 20 kilometres upriver from the old Tumen River Bridge, the bridge is 804.7 metres long and 23 metres wide, reports Xinhua. The site measurement and a geological survey of the cross-border bridge have been completed.
Construction of the new Tumen River Bridge is scheduled to be finished no later than 2016. Once completed, it is expected to enable even closer ties for bilateral trade between China and North Korea.
The old Tumen River Bridge is an important traffic route between China and the North Korea. With frequent border trade activities, the bridge floor has been seriously damaged as more and more heavy vehicles pass over each day. So the existing bridge is facing safety risks and has not been repaired for many years, according to Shipping Gazette.
