A rendering of the new cross-river channel linking Rugao and Zhangjiagang [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

A new bridge crossing the Yangtze River will be built this year to connect Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, with Zhangjiagang in Suzhou, Nantong Daily reported on March 18.

The channel will consist of two suspension bridges, one of which will cross the main part of the Yangtze River and have a span of 2,300 meters, and one of which will cross a branch of the river and have a span of 1,208 m. 

Upon completion, the main bridge will surpass the Turkey's Canakkale Bridge (2,023 m) currently under construction to become the longest suspension bridge in the world.

The bridge will feature an eight-lane expressway with a total length of 27.27 kilometers. CCC Highway Consultants Co and China Design Group Co have won the bid to engineer and design the project.

The bridge, located in the middle of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong metropolitan area, is one of 35 river bridges that the Jiangsu Provincial Government aims to build by 2025.

According to Lu Yongquan, director of the provincial transportation department, construction is expected to start this year. It is meant to alleviate traffic congestion around the Yangtze River.