New cross-border bridge between N. Korea, China to open Thursday: report
New Yalu River Bridge is seen on Oct. 6. Yonhap
A bridge between North Korea and China will officially open to traffic this week after sitting idle for more than a decade following its construction, according to a Chinese news report on Wednesday.
The New Yalu River Bridge, which connects the North Korean city of Sinuiju and Dandong in China, will open Thursday, according to China's Xinhua News Agency.
There will be an opening ceremony on that day, the report said.
The entrance to the New Yalu Bridge can be seen from Liaoning Province, China, Oct. 5. Yonhap
The construction of the four-lane motor bridge began in October 2011 and wrapped up in October 2014, but it stood unused for years because North Korea did not finish the buildings and infrastructure on its side.
Vehicles have recently been spotted crossing the 3,024-meter bridge, raising the possibility of a test run.
The bridge, which is expected to boost trade and personnel exchanges between the two countries, opens after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged at their June summit in Pyongyang to raise their ties to a strategic level and enhance exchanges.
It would supplement the existing Friendship Bridge, which opened in 1943 and has long been the main crossing over the Yalu River.
The new bridge is expected to ease congestion on the old, one-way road linking the two countries.