URUMQI — Bridge builders have completed joining the two sections of Taitema Lake railway bridge, the longest railway bridge in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, local authorities said on Aug 19.

Located in a lake and wetland area, the 24.6-km-long bridge was designed to avoid harming the fragile ecology. Construction began in May 2016.

“The bridge does not block water flow and can also allow a passage for animals, wind and sand,” said Wang Shusheng, head of engineering for the Golmud-Korla railway construction project.

Due to complicated geographical conditions such as deserts, marshes and wetlands, the railway bridge was expanded from its original designed length of 7.5 km and marks a breakthrough in the history of railway construction in the region, according to Wang.

The bridge will be a key section of the Golmud-Korla railway, linking the city of Golmud, in northwest China’s Qinghai province and the city of Korla in Xinjiang.

The 1,213.7-km-long railway line, which is currently under construction, is scheduled to be a crucial passage linking Xinjiang with neighboring provinces and west Asia.

The bridge and the railway line will be completed by 2020. The railway will cut the travel time between the two cities from 26 to just 12 hours.