New Amur River Bridge To Be Built Between Russia & China In Jewish Autonomous Oblast

The local government of Russia’s Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO) have signed a letter of intent on building a new cross-border road bridge across the Amur River. It will connect Pashkovo in Russia with Jiayin city across the border in China.

The total length of the new bridge exceeds one kilometre, with the Russian part of the structure extending about 700 metres. To integrate the bridge into the existing road network, a further 600 metres of access roads also need to be constructed. The project is to be implemented using public-private partnership mechanisms.

JAO Governor Maria Kostyuk calls the bridge construction project near Pashkovo a new growth point for the region’s economy, saying “For the region, it means new jobs, increased cargo turnover, and the development of tourism.” She estimated that the project implementation will provide additional impetus to the development of international logistics corridors and increases the transport accessibility of tourist sites and mineral deposits in the JAO.

The main contractor is expected to be the Bamtonnelstroy Most Group of Companies, who have significant experience in implementing infrastructure projects in the region, and previously built the first cross-border railway bridge between Nizhneleninskoye and Tongjiang. The company currently acts as the general contractor and designer for the reconstruction of the eight-kilometre Birobidzhan – Ungun – Leninskoye highway and the Bira River bridge in Birobidzhan.

Transport links between the JAO and China are developing rapidly, with the region long connected to the Trans-Siberian Railway. That has been enhanced with the first railway bridge over the Amur River, connecting Nizhneleninskoye in the JAO with Tongjiang in the China’s Heilongjiang Province. That opened in 2021; and according to Russian Railways, carried more than 4.2 million tons of cargo in the 8 month period January-August this year, together with 1.5 million passengers.

Trade between the JAR and China has consequently been growing and is set to gain another boost as Russian visitors can enter China visa free, with Chinese visitors expected to be able to do the same within the next few weeks.