New Yalu River Bridge

The New Yalu River Bridge, or Korea-China Amnok River Bridge, is a road bridge across the Amnok River between Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea. The cable-stayed bridge, which is long including the supporting roads, is intended as a replacement for the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge. Construction began in October 2011 and is mostly complete and connected with Xingdan Road, but the project stalled between 2014 and 2019, with work unfinished on the North Korean side. By 2021, construction on the North Korean side has been mostly completed, with the bridge being expected to open soon. Construction history The New Yalu River Bridge was built as a replacement for the Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge, one of two other bridges in the area, to improve travel and trade between the two countries. The Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge, which opened in 1943, is only wide enough for a single rail track and a single reversible lane. It also cannot carry trucks over 20 tonnes. Plans to build the New Yalu River Bridge were approved by North Korea during a visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to the country in 2010. The bridge would be part of a development project including free trade zones on North Korean islands in the Yalu river. Construction of the New Yalu River Bridge began in 2011, reportedly cost China US$350 million to complete, and has multiple lanes to carry traffic in both directions.