CHINA, December 1. /TASS/. A freight pontoon bridge opened on Monday across the Amur River, connecting Blagoveshchensk, in Russia’s Far East, with China’s Heihe, on the Russian border.

“Border guards have started security screening procedures, and vehicles with cargos are moving along the bridge,” a deputy director general of the trade port of Blagoveshchensk has said.

The ministry of transport and road facilities of the Amur Region said a regional inter-departmental commission has examined the Russian part of the bridge and found that it meets all the requirements.

“The commission has recommended setting the weight limit on the bridge at not more than 30 tons until the full freeze-in of metal structures,” the local ministry said.

In the coming days, the commission is due to announce whether the passenger pontoon bridge is also ready.

Russia and China unveiled plans to launch the construction of the pontoon bridge across the Amur River in 2009, but the fulfillment of the project started only in 2011. The bridge allows transporting cargos across the Amur River after the navigation period ends.