(CFP)

The Nanjing-Yangzhou Yangtze River Bridge officially opened to traffic at 8:00 a.m. on January 1, adding another "mega project" to enhance the transportation network amid development integration.

Connecting Yizheng in Yangzhou City to the north and Nanjing City and Jurong in Zhenjiang City to the south, the 5.8-kilometer-long bridge boasts a main span of 1,560 meters and six lanes in two directions.

The Nanjing-Zhenjiang-Yangzhou area covers 17,000 square kilometers and has a population of over 16 million. As one of the first regions in Jiangsu and nationwide to explore integrated development, the region achieved a total GDP exceeding 3 trillion yuan in 2023.

(Shao Dan/Xinhua Daily)

Construction of the bridge began in February 2019. As a crucial transport facility for the region’s integration, the bridge will further strengthen the connections between the industrial cluster in northern Yangzhou, the Yizheng Chemical Industrial Park, and Nanjing Longtan Port, injecting new momentum into the province’s high-quality development.

The mighty Yangtze River, spanning 433 kilometers across Jiangsu, links eight of the province’s 13 cities that have subdistricts, namely Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, Taizhou, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, and Nantong. To date, the province has completed 19 river-crossing channels, reaching a historical high.