A floating bridge on the China-Russia border was opened Friday for winter transport between the two countries, a port in northeast China said.

The 600-meter bridge is built on six 1,000-tonne barges connected end-to-end between Heihe Port in Heilongjiang Province and Blagoveshchensk, capital of the Amur region in the Russian Far East, said an official with the port.

The bridge is designed with 10.5 meter-wide road with two-way lanes for personnel and cargo transport.

It is expected to remain open until April, when the river ice fully melts allowing for ferry operations, the official said.

A hovercraft ferry is also being used, until the river freezes.

Heihe is an important port in Heilongjiang, with Blagoveshchensk on the other side of the Heilong River. The distance between the ports' nearest points is only 100 meters.