The huge £260m ghost bridge between 2 countries left abandoned for 10 years

A bridge designed to revolutionise travel between two major Asian countries has, in reality, stood unfinished for more than a decade, being used by local farmers to store their crops instead. Construction of this ghost bridge - connecting China and North Korea across the Yalu River - began in October 2011 and was completed on the Chinese side three years later. Completely funded by China, it cost the nation an eyewatering $350 million (£260 million), even building a new city at its end of the road.

However, North Korea have so far failed to keep up their end of the bargain. Despite complete financial aid by its neighbour, the North Korean end remained untouched until 2019, forcing Chinese apartment complexes, shops and more to lie vacant. Now though, there appears to be renewed signs of construction which could finally see the new link become a reality. The years of inactivity also left buses and trucks waiting for hours to get across the original link between the two nations - the Old Friendship Bridge, which has been unable to keep up with modern advancements. Built in the 1930s and originally named the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, it is only wide enough for a single rail track and a single reversible lane. It is unable to carry trucks weighing over 20 tonnes.

The narrow bridge, which serves as a link between Beijing and Pyongyang, has become the busiest border port between the two nations in recent years, as bilateral trade has increased. These renewed signs of construction at the new site, meanwhile, have been taken as a signal that China and North Korea are preparing to boost trade further.

North Korea approved plans to build the New Yalu River Bridge in 2010. The bridge would be part of a development project that includes free trade zones on North Korean islands in the Yalu River. It is a cable-stayed bridge that spans 1.9 miles across the waterway.

Despite North Korea previously shutting its borders and effectively becoming a recluse during the COVID-19 pandemic, work on the bridge has now largely been completed.

Construction on Kim Jong Un's side began in February 2020, but was halted the following August. Following the border closure, satellite imagery showed farmers using the abandoned road to dry their crops on the tar.

However, building has resumed on the North Korean side of the New Yalu River Bridge, marking the first movement on the development in five years. New images from Planet Labs have shown evidence of new excavation and the appearance of blue-roofed structures, believed to be related to long-term construction plans on the site.

Last month, according to a Daily NK source in the North Pyongan province, the "exterior construction on the seven-story building near the Sinuiju bridge (New Yalu River Bridge) has been completed.

This facility will serve as a "border control and commercial complex". The source added that "workers who handled exterior construction have withdrawn, and interior construction crews are now installing interior plastering, tiles and lighting. The current target is completion by early November".

A China-based North Korean source said the same day that "bidding preparations are under way for shops in the Dandong customs building. This is seen as swift store owners trying to secure prime locations ahead of the New Yalu River Bridge opening. Interior construction is already taking place based on requests from confirmed tenants".

The North Pyongan source added that preparations have accelerated since the Beijing summit in early September, interpreting this as a sign of trade expansion.

This comes as the world's new tallest bridge opened its doors earlier this month. The brand new £208 million Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in southwest China intends to cut commutes from two hours to just one minute and has taken three-and-a-half-years to build.