Economic and cultural ties between China and Russia are growing stronger every year. The turnover is growing, the number of tourists is increasing. In these conditions, the convenience of travel from one country to another is of particular importance.
Russian Blagoveshchensk and Chinese Heihe are located on opposite sides of the Amur, they are only 750 meters apart. At the moment, there is a ferry crossing between the cities; a trip to Heihe does not even require a visa - Russian tourists can stay in the city for up to a month without registration. But it is not very convenient and long enough to cross the Amur by water, so the question of building a more convenient crossing has been ripe for a long time.
Various options were considered, the construction of the cable car turned out to be the cheapest and most quickly repayable. It is being built quite quickly, does not interfere with shipping, and is capable of operating around the clock in almost any weather conditions. The Chinese side has already completed the feasibility study of the construction project, and the Russian side has received the necessary permits from the Federal Agency for the Arrangement of Border Territories.
The construction of the cable car is planned to begin in 2013. The cabins of the funiculars will accommodate 8 people, and it will take just 80 seconds to get from one bank to the other. The ferry fee will be approximately 500 rubles. The only obstacle to the construction of the crossing at the moment is the lack of regulations for its work. The project is unique, nothing like this has yet been built in Russia. Therefore, the necessary documentation regulating the requirements for the safe operation of this type of ropeway does not exist. So it may well be that due to the sluggishness of officials, the construction of the cable car between Heihe and Blagoveshchensk may be frozen indefinitely.
Despite the possible difficulties, the city administrations are determined to bring the project to the end; with a successful coincidence, the crossing may start working as early as August 2013. A contractor was also found who is ready to take on the project. It is worth noting that the project also has opponents - they are river workers, from whom the new crossing will take away a significant part of their income.
