The Yellow River Bridge of Shanxi and Inner Mongolia is under construction. [Photo/xzrbw.com]

The Shanxi provincial northwest exit –– the main section of the Yellow River Bridge of Shanxi and Inner Mongolia –– will be completed within the year and be open to traffic on schedule in 2018, according to Shanxi province's Department of Communications on June 5, 2017.

The project started on Jan 14, 2015 with investment estimated at 1.05 billion yuan ($152.2 million) and construction estimated to take around three years.

The overall length of the bridge is 4.86 kilometers, including the 2.2-kilometer Yellow River Grand Bridge.

The bridge runs from Hequ county in Xinzhou city, Shanxi province and connects with the Lingqiu-Hequ highway, crosses the Yellow River from Luoqu Fort to Jungar Banner in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, and ends at Longkou Expressway.

The project is based on a two-way six-lane highway with a roadbed width of 32 meters, and is designed for vehicles traveling at speeds of 80 kilometers per hour.

The project is a provincial transport corridor for the third cross section of the highway network as well as one of five key engineering construction projects in Shanxi province.

The completion of the bridge will break the natural barrier between Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, making it an important hub for provincial exchange and communication, and greatly improve the transport links of northwest Shanxi.

The project has great significance for establishing an integrated transportation system, strengthening coal transportation, promoting tourism development, and accelerating economic and cultural communication in Shanxi and the northwest region.