A bridge designed to connect Pingtan Island off east China coast and the mainland will begin construction late this year, said sources from Fujian Provincial Bureau of Communications.

The Chinese Ministry of Communications has given the go-ahead to the plan of construction, according to local sources.

In accordance with the construction plan, the projected bridge will have a length of 4,976 meters, of which, the section above the sea waters makes up 3,510 meters.

The new bridge will start from Nianggong on Pingtan Island and terminate in Xiaoshandong of Fuqing on the east China coast. It is connected with the No. 305 provincial highway in Fujian.

With a budget of 1.14 billion yuan (about 143 million U.S. dollars), the bridge will take three years and a half to complete.

Pingtan Island is the fifth largest island in China. Completion of the bridge will help alleviate traffic jam in Pingtan County and boost its economic development.