Central China's Wuhan City has decided to build another bridge over the Yangtze River, the world's third longest, said local sources.

The new bridge will span the river by linking up Nianyutao in the city's Wuchang area and Maying Road in Hanyang. It will share the heavy traffic flow on the half-century-old Wuhan Yangtze River Highway-Railway Bridge.

Ferry service used to be the sole means of transport for local people to travel across the river before October 1957 when the Wuhan highway-railway bridge was put into operation. However, the bridge is overburdened to carry about 100,000 motor vehicles and 300 trains each day.

So far, five bridges are in use over the Yangtze in the city of Wuhan, one more is being built. The construction of another one will start in the first half of this year.

A total of 61 bridges have been built or are being constructed on the main stream of the Yangtze since October 1957.

The Yangtze, China's longest river which stretches 6,300 km, originates in northwest China's Qinghai Province and flows through ten provincial areas before emptying itself near Shanghai into the East China Sea.

(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2008)