Main structure of 1st cross-border ropeway linking China and Russia completed

China on Sunday announced that the main structure of the first cross-border ropeway linking it with Russia has been completed, state media reported.

Construction of the passenger ropeway connecting the city of Heihe in the northeast Heilongjiang province and Blagoveshchensk, Russia across the Heilongjiang River began in 2019, and the project is set to be completed before the end of this year, China’s Xinhua News reported.

Once operational, the ropeway will cut cross-river travel time between the two border cities to just six to eight minutes, according to Cao Xinhong, chairman of Heihe-based Jinlonggang Construction, contractor for the Chinese section of the project.

The ropeway is made up of a horizontal cross-river span of 970 meters (3,182 feet) and is equipped with two carriages, each capable of carrying 110 passengers.

The ropeway runs at a maximum speed of 12 meters (39 feet) per second, with a designed annual one-way passenger throughput of 2.6 million.