Pictured above (Google Earth): (L) The original bridge, (R) The new bridge under construction
UPDATE 3 (2018-3-13): New Google Earth satellite image from January 2018 shows little has changed from October 2017.
UPDATE 2 (2017-10-20): NK News captures ground level photos showing progress on bridge construction.
UPDATE 1 (2017-3-24): NK News reports progress on the bridge appears stalled.
ORIGINAL POST (2014-5-23): According to the China Daily:
Construction on a new bridge over a river separating China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has started, authorities of northeast China’s Jilin Province said on Tuesday.
With a total investment of 137 million yuan (21.93 million US dollars), the 804.7-meter new Tumen River bridge is expected to open in 2015 or 2016 as a new route for bilateral trade, authorities said.
The old Tumen River bridge has not been repaired for many years and is facing safety risks. However, the old bridge will not be dismantled and will be kept as a scenic spot.
Tumen City is linked to the DPRK by both highway and railway.
According to Yonhap:
China will begin constructing a new major bridge to North Korea over the Tumen river, China’s state media reported Friday, in the latest sign that economic relations between the two nations remain stable despite the North’s nuclear ambition.
The 804-meter-long, 23-meter-wide bridge will link the Chinese border town of Tumen to North Korea’s northeastern coastal city of Chongjin, the Yanbian Daily newspaper reported, citing the city government of Tumen.
China’s central government recently gave a final approval to build the bridge, which is entirely funded by China at a cost of 137 million yuan (US$21.9 million), the report said.
The newspaper did not specify when the construction would start but that it would “soon be implemented.”
China has been building another major bridge connecting its border city of Dandong to the North Korean city of Sinuiju across the Amnok river, called as the Yalu River in China.
North Korea’s series of provocations, including last year’s third nuclear test, have strained political ties with its last-remaining ally, China. Still, many analysts believe that Beijing will not put strong pressure on Pyongyang due to the risk of aggravating the current situation.
According to AFP:
The bridge will replace an older structure, built in 1938, which will be turned into a tourist attraction, Xinhua said. There are several other rail and road bridges linking the two countries.
Chinese tourists recently started crossing into Namyang for day trips on bicycles.
Read the full stories here:
China to build new cross-border bridge to N. Korea: report
Yonhap
2014-5-23
New bridge to link China, DPRK
China Daily
2014-5-27
