China's first cross-sea rail-road bridge will soon start construction in Pingtan, Southeast China's Fujian province, Chinanews.com reported.

The design of the Pingtan Haixia Rail-Road Bridge has been approved by the Fujian provincial government and China Railway Corporation, said the report.

The cross-sea rail will span a distance of about 16.32 kilometers. It will start from Songxia Port in Changle city, stretch southeast over the Yuanhong channel, the Guyumen channel, Changyu Island, Xiaolian Island, the Xiaolian-Dalian island channel, Dalian Island, Haitan Strait, and finally reach Pingtan Island.

The Pingtan Haixia Rail-Road Bridge, linking Songxia Port and Dalian Island, will measure 11.15 kilometers and is the main part of the cross-sea railway. It is designed to have two layers. The upper level will include a two-way six-lane highway, and the lower level will feature a double-track railway.

The cross-sea rails are part of the new Fuzhou-Pingtan railway, which measures a total length of 88.43 kilometers.

The bridge project includes three channel bridges over the Yuanhong channel, Guyumen channel and Dalian-Xiaolian island channel. It will also feature bridge approaches and railroad beds. The estimated investment amounts to 10.9 billion yuan ($1.78 billion).

Chinanews.com didn't give a specific date as of when construction will begin. But according to news in March from Xinhua News Agency, work should kick off by the end of this year.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Michael Thai