Construction of a bridge that will connect Shanghai's Chongming Island and Jiangsu Province will begin next month, according to Qidong City's Website, where the building will begin.

The seven-kilometer Chongqi Bridge will span the Yangtze River, said the city government's news Website.

The bridge will be built 27 kilometers east of the end of the Yangtze and 74 kilometers west of Sutong Bridge, said the Website. It added that Chongqi Bridge will not disturb the North Lake scenic spot on Chongming Island.

The Jiangsu government planned to start construction at the end of 2006 and complete the bridge at the end of 2009, according to previous reports on Qidong's Website.

The bridge is also a key part of the 6.66 billion yuan (US$890.2 million) Chongqi Highway project, a two-way highway with six lanes. It will connect the under-construction Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and the highways between Nanjing, Nantong and Qidong.

The highway will be another important link between Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta.

The Ministry of Communications and experts from Shanghai Tongji University evaluated the bridge project on November 23. They confirmed the feasibility of the project and urged the bridge to be built soon, according to the Website.

(Shanghai Daily, December 6, 2007)