The very idea of building a bridge over the Amur River near the city of Blagoveshchensk has quite a long history. For a long time, this issue has been in the field of vision of bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. In addition, the possibility of construction was discussed by representatives of regional authorities of both countries.
It should be noted that the problems related to the construction of the bridge were not always in the financial plan, at one time the Chinese side offered to take full responsibility for the financial side of the issue. Sometimes disagreements between the PRC and the Russian Federation concerned the design features of the new structure. In 2002, China proposed to build not a road, but a railway bridge. Our side was interested in a through bridge that could be used by both road and rail transport. In addition, a fairly significant obstacle to the promotion of this project was the idea that, from the point of view of economic efficiency, it is not necessary to build a bridge. Representatives of many shipping companies and the commercial port of Blagoveshchensk spoke in the same direction, suggesting that the appearance of a bridge will have a negative impact on their income. Many experts disagreed with their position, saying that the appearance of the bridge will play the role of a certain engine for tourism and interstate trade.
In 2015, an intergovernmental agreement was signed, which launched a large construction project in December 2016. The Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, Yuri Trutnev, then pointed out that the uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that it was possible to implement it without attracting budget funds. It was built under a concession model, which involves the construction of an object at the expense of an investor, after which the company involved in the implementation of the project has the opportunity to exploit the object on a reimbursable basis, collecting revenue for its own benefit. In the spring of 2015, the Amur Bridge Construction Company (China) and Most OJSC (Russia) established a joint venture that dealt with investment management, design, construction, operation and other matters related to the project. Experts have said that funds invested in construction should be amortized within 16 years.
It is specified that the construction work was carried out in parallel by national and Chinese specialists. The length of the bridge is 1080 meters. Each side builds exactly half – 540 meters each. Pieces were erected simultaneously from both shores, their docking took place at the end of May 2019, and in the fall it was reported that the construction of the bridge was completed. In May 2020, permission to put the facility into operation was received, however, the start of traffic on the bridge was not expected to take place until after restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic were lifted.
On June 10, 2022, the long-awaited opening of the bridge took place, during the event, the first trucks passed through the Kani-Kurgan-Heihe checkpoint, eight tractors went to China, the same number of trucks headed to Russia from the Chinese side.
Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Savelyev at the opening ceremony of the bridge stressed that the commissioning of the facility will create conditions for increased trade with the People’s Republic of China on along this route (Blagoveshchensk – Heihe), which could reach 1 million tons of goods per year. In addition, crossing the bridge will provide the necessary infrastructure for the Advanced Development Zone (TOR) “Priamurskaya”, which was created in 2015. At the beginning of last year, 20 residents were registered in the territory. It is also necessary to pay attention to a curious fact, because within the framework of the Priamurskaya ASEZ, another large cross-border project is being carried out, the total investment of which is estimated at 7.3 billion rubles. We are talking about a cable car that will still connect Blagoveshchensk and Heihe. It is scheduled to open this calendar year. If we return to the opening of the bridge and its economic prospects, then, according to Vitaly Savelyev, the commissioning of the bridge will reduce transport costs for business representatives, allow neighboring regions to reduce the export and import route and will become a link for the implementation of major joint venture investment projects.
To increase the capacity of the new bridge, from January 3, 2023, the international checkpoint (“Kani-Kurgan” checkpoint) began to operate around the clock. The parties are also actively working on expanding the turnover range of goods. In addition, to date, the terminal has expanded the cargo storage area and facilities for all-weather container repackaging will be built by the end of the year.
It is curious that another major transport project was implemented in Russia last year: the Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang railway bridge. The length of the transition exceeds seven kilometers, it is located on the territory of the Jewish Autonomous Region. It is assumed that the new bridge will significantly increase the turnover and competitiveness of domestic enterprises. The new route will send iron ore, coal, mineral fertilizers and other goods to China.
If we return to the topic of our article, then we can summarize it with the words of the governor of the Amur region Vasily Orlov, which he spoke at the ceremony of opening the bridge. The head of the region then said that the opening of the bridge will have a serious impact on the future development of trade and economic relations between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. Given the political situation in the world, attempts to economically isolate Russia, this fact is of particular importance for our country.
Author: Viktor Anufriev
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