The construction of a bridge across the Amur River, which will connect the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk with China’s Heihe, will begin in the summer. It will be built from both banks simultaneously. The bridge is expected to cost $280 million and should open in 2019.
Russia will build the bridge from Blagoveshchensk, while the Chinese will do it from Heihe, with the connection to be made by Russian companies. The first stage of the project involves the construction of a road bridge across the Amur River, followed by a railway bridge. When the work is concluded the Russian side of the bridge will become the property of the Amur region; the Chinese side will be owned by Heilongjiang Province. The bridge will reduce transport costs for doing cross-border business which is expected to stimulate the development of joint investment projects, while promoting trade between the regions.
