China plans to build a bridge across the Yangtze River in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, to east its traffic.

Construction of the Yangluo Bridge, the sixth in the city, will start in October 2001 and be completed by the end of 2004.

With an investment of over 1.5 billion yuan (about 180 million US dollars), the 2,660-meter-long bridge will have six lanes designed for speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour.

The bridge is expected to serve as a major traffic artery for the future 200-km-long Wuhan Ring Road, and an important transportation link connecting inter-provincial highways.

The first Wuhan Yangtze bridge opened to traffic in 1957.