(Photo/Xinhua)

The main arch of a bridge on the border of southwest China's Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces was completed on July 7. Once opened, the bridge will make travel more convenient and help to alleviate poverty within the local community.

The construction began in 2016. Built across the Chishui River, the arch bridge measures 286.4 meters long with a span of 180 meters. With a total investment of about 59 million yuan, it’s designed as a two-lane, two-way bridge with sidewalks on both sides.

Since the construction site was located in a canyon scenic area, constructors had to lift the concrete 150 meters above the river with baskets so as to reduce damages to the vegetation, said Jiang Zhongqiao, project manager of Sichuan Road and Bridge Group, contractor of the bridge.

The bridge connects two poverty-stricken counties in Sichuan and Yunnan. Upon opening, it will take one minute to drive across the bridge from one province to the other, while the travel time beforehand was normally 1.5 to 2.5 hours.

This means it will be more convenient to transport Yunnan's coal, Sichuan's tobacco, and other economic crops outside of the mountains. Moreover, the bridge will boost canyon tourism, helping to get rid of local poverty.