First motorway 1,080-meter bridge between Russia and China launched

Freight traffic on the first automobile bridge between Russia and China was launched in the city of Blagoveshchensk on Friday, June 10. The bridge across the Amur River connects the capital of Russia's Amur Region (Blagoveshchensk) with the city of Heihe in China, TASS reports.

The opening ceremony was televised in Moscow, Vladivostok, Beijing, Blagoveshchensk and Heihe. Yury Trutnev, Putin's aide to the Far East, and Hu Chunhua, deputy premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, took part in the ceremony remotely. Governor of Heilongjiang Province Hua Changsheng announced the launch of traffic on the bridge in Russian.

According to Vasily Orlov, the Governor of the Amur Region, the average fare for a car ride across the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge will be 8,700 rubles (about $150). The concession model is designed for 20 years. it is believed that the bridge will pay off its construction during this period. Afterwards, it will be possible to lower the fare, RIA Novosti reports.

First eight Russian vehicles using environmentally friendly fuel — liquefied natural gas — drove across the bridge to deliver a batch of soybean oil from the Amur Region to China. From the Chinese side, trucks loaded with car tires and components for electrical equipment traveled to Russia.

The bridge is 1,080 meters long. Russia and China started the construction of the bridge in late 2016. The construction of the bridge cost 19 billion rubles (about $334 million).