Traffic over Blagoveshchensk–Heihe bridge rises 97%, governor says

Vehicle traffic through the Kani-Kurgan checkpoint on the Blagoveshchensk–Heihe bridge has risen 97% since the start of the year compared with last year, Amur region Governor Vasily Orlov said.

As of October 12, almost 353 thousand vehicles had crossed the bridge since traffic began, regional authorities said. More than 150 thousand travelled in the export direction and over 200 thousand in the import direction.

Orlov linked the increase to changing logistics routes, with some cargo previously sent through Zabaykalsk and crossings in Primorye now going through Blagoveshchensk. He identified capacity on the Amur federal highway near the city as a constraint.

Authorities plan a four-lane road and the widening of the section between Ivanovka and Beryozovka. They expect additional freight traffic in November, when a Sodruzhestvo group soybean-processing plant plans to begin exports.