New Yalu River Bridge

New Yalu River Bridge
New Yalu River Bridge in September 2016
Coordinates40°2′8″N 124°22′10″E / 40.03556°N 124.36944°E / 40.03556; 124.36944
CarriesRoad traffic
CrossesAmnok River
LocaleDandong, Liaoning, China Sinŭiju, North P'yŏngan, North Korea
Official name新鸭绿江大桥 (Chinese)
조중압록강다리 (Korean)
Other name(s)Korea-China Amnok River Bridge
Characteristics
Total length3 km (9,800 ft)
History
Construction startOctober 2011
Location
Map
The New Yalu River Bridge under construction. The Chinese side on the left and the North Korean side on the far right, in early June 2012.

The New Yalu River Bridge (Chinese: 新鸭绿江大桥), or Korea-China Amnok River Bridge (Korean: 조중압록강다리), is a road bridge across the Amnok River between Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea. The cable-stayed bridge, which is 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) long including the supporting roads, is intended as a replacement for the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge.[1] Construction began in October 2011[2] 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.[3][4] By 2021, construction on the North Korean side has been mostly completed, with the bridge being expected to open soon.[5]

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.[1]

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.[6] The bridge would be part of a development project including free trade zones on North Korean islands in the Yalu river.[7]

Construction of the New Yalu River Bridge began in 2011, reportedly cost China US$350 million to complete,[8] and has multiple lanes to carry traffic in both directions.[3]

It was originally planned to open in 2014, but due to delays on the North Korean side, the opening has been postponed indefinitely, as the bridge ended in a field outside of Sinuiju, North Korea.[9] In October 2017, Yonhap reported that North Korea has demanded that "Beijing to cover more of the costs of building the border bridge".[10]

In June 2019, Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping pledged to pay for roads and customs posts on the North Korean side of the bridge, according to unnamed sources.[11]

In late September 2019, the construction for road links and customs posts on the North Korean side of the bridge began.[12][4] By April 2020 the project was reportedly near completion.[13] In mid-August 2020, the project was stopped again.[14] In October 2020, the project works restarted again.[15]

According to sources cited by South Korean newspaper Dong-a Ilbo, the works were planned to be completed during the first half of 2020, but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] In October 2021, Yonhap reported that the bridge ramps on the Korean side were completed since, and that the bridge would be opened soon, as North Korea would restart border trade.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "中朝新鸭绿江大桥实现合龙预计2014年通车". www.gov.cn. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  2. ^ New Yalu River Bridge (Hudong Encyclopedia) (in Chinese)
  3. ^ a b Lee, Nathaniel (5 May 2017). "China built a $350 million bridge that ends in a dirt field in North Korea". Business Insider.
  4. ^ a b "Work continues on DPRK side to connect long-stalled cross-border bridge with China". 8 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b 전인경 (11 April 2021). "消息：朝中边境或于月内解封 | 韩联社". 韩联社（韩国联合通讯社） (in Chinese). Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Bridge to nowhere?". m.koreatimes.co.kr. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  7. ^ "China's Embrace of North Korea: The Curious Case of the Hwanggumpyong Island Economic Zone". 38 North. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  8. ^ Talmadge, Eric (17 November 2014). "china's $350m bridge gets scant North Korean welcome". Associated Press – via Aiken Standard.
  9. ^ Joseph, Devan (19 November 2014). "China Just Built A Massive $350 Million Bridge That Ends In A Dirt Field In North Korea". Business Insider. Associated Press.
  10. ^ "Report: North Korea soldier has no recollection of daring escape". UPI. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  11. ^ Hirai, Yoshikazu (29 July 2019). "China to fund costs so bridge to North Korea can open to traffic". Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020.
  12. ^ Zwirko, Colin (26 September 2019). "Homes demolished in path of long-stalled Sino-DPRK "bridge to nowhere": imagery". NK Pro. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  13. ^ "N. KOREA PREPARES BRIDGE CONNECTING WITH CHINA / KBS뉴스(News)". YouTube. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  14. ^ Zwirko, Colin (25 September 2020). "Work on China-DPRK 'bridge to nowhere' stops amid new COVID-19 border controls". NK News. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  15. ^ Zwirko, Colin (30 October 2020). "China-DPRK 'bridge to nowhere' closer to opening as highway work restarts". NK News. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  16. ^ "新鸭绿江大桥为6年来首次开通"加速"". www.donga.com (in Chinese (China)). 4 May 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
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