A ceremony has taken place in northeastern China to mark the beginning of a bridge project linking China and Russia.

一项于日前在中国东北举行的仪式，标志着连接中俄两国桥梁项目的开始。

Construction is now getting underway on a 1.3-kilometer long bridge, which will connect a Chinese border town in Heilongjiang with a Russian community on the other side of the Heilong.

这条建设当中的1.3公里长的桥梁，将位于黑龙江省的中国边境城市黑河与其对岸的俄罗斯布拉戈维申斯克连接起来。

Both the Chinese and Russian sides say the new bridge will bring economic benefits on both sides of the "Black Dragon."

中俄双方都表示，新的桥梁将为黑龙江两岸带来经济效益。

Governor of Russia's Amur Region, Andrey Kozlov, says the new bridge project will also help cross-border exchanges.

俄罗斯阿穆尔地区州长安德烈·科兹洛夫表示，新建大桥项目还将有助于跨国交流。

"The infrastructure¹ in transportation² is one of our priorities. Both heads of state of our two countries are very supportive of this kind of work in the border areas. The bridge, once completed, will play an important role not only in the economy, but also in exchanges in various fields."

“建设交通基础设施也是我们的发展重点。两国领导都非常支持此项边境工作。这座桥梁在经济等多领域的交流中都将发挥重要作用。”

Local officials in the Chinese border city of Heihe say the project is going to help elevate a major bottle-neck in cross-border trade.

中国边境城市黑河市的地方官员表示，该项目将有助于改善跨境贸易的主要瓶颈问题。

Around 700-thousand people and 300-thousand tons of goods enter or exit China via Heihe every year. Passenger flows are to double, and cargo³ volumes increase by 10-fold, once the project is complete.

每年有约70万人和30万吨货物通过黑河进出中国。一旦项目完成，客流量将增加1倍，货运量则将增加10倍。

It's also part of a trilateral economic corridor linking China, Russia and Mongolia.

它也是连接中国、俄罗斯和蒙古三边经济走廊的一部分。

The bridge project, proposed 28-years ago, is expected to be finished in October of 2019.

该桥梁项目于28年前提出，预计将于2019年10月完成。