China-Russia highway bridge ready for opening

The first highway bridge connecting China and Russia across the Heilongjiang River has recently passed the final acceptance test, the department of transport of northeast China's Heilongjiang province said Friday.

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 2, 2019 shows the first highway bridge connecting China and Russia across the Heilongjiang River. [Photo/Xinhua]

Experts with Harbin Institute of Technology and counterparts of the Russian side participated in the test on Tuesday. The maximum load capacity of the bridge reached 318 tonnes during the test.

The bridge is expected to open in April, according to the provincial transport department.

Measuring 1,284 meters long and 14.5 meters wide, the bridge across the Heilongjiang River, known in Russia as the Amur River, stretches from Heihe, a border city in Heilongjiang province, to the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk. Two sides of the bridge were joined together on May 31, 2019.