New floating bridge links China, Russia

A floating bridge has been built to link northeast China's Luobei Port and Russia's Amurzet, authorities in Heilongjiang Province announced on Wednesday. The 1,080-meter bridge, the longest between the two countries, opened to traffic on Monday, taking vehicles across the Heilongjiang River along the Sino-Russian border, said Sun Lianchang, head of Luobei County. Made up of 37 pontoons, the bridge allows freight trucks to cross the river on 135 winter days, up from 70. Previously, winter freight traffic across the river was only possible when its ice covering was thick enough for the vehicles to drive across, Sun said. In the summer, they cross on ferries. The bridge is designed to handle a maximum of 100,000 tonnes of freight daily. Located on the northeastern edge of Heilongjiang, Luobei is a major port for China-Russia passenger and freight transport.