KRATIE, Cambodia, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Local resident Heang Sam Ath was elated to see the construction of a China-funded bridge across Mekong River here in northeast Cambodia nearing completion, saying that it would not only facilitate travel, but also boost local economy.

Undertaken by the Shanghai Construction Group, the work on the Cambodia-China Mekong Kratie Friendship Bridge commenced in early 2023. To date, over 98.4 percent of the bridge has been completed.

"Soon, we will be able to travel across the river by bridge, and will no longer need to take a ferry," Sam Ath, who lives near the bridge in Chetr Borei district, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"For me, it will provide a lot of benefits. As a farmer, the bridge will make me easy to transport agricultural produce across the river," he said. "As a resident in this Talous village, I'm very happy that the bridge has been built."

Sam Ath said the bridge is an iconic symbol of an unbreakable iron-clad friendship between Cambodia and China.

"We have never had such a beautiful bridge in our area before," the father of two children said. "This bridge makes history for residents in Kratie province."

Sam Ath said that with this bridge, the number of tourists to Kratie province will definitely be on the rise since it makes them easier to travel to the province.

He recalled that when there was no bridge, local people were hard to cross the river because they had to pay and spend time waiting for ferry.

"In each crossing by ferry, we spent 1,000 riels (0.25 U.S. dollar) for a person and another 1,000 riels for a motorcycle," he said.

The bridge, which is 1,761-meter long and 13.5-meter wide, is the fruit of Cambodia-China cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Nheom Vanny, a Chinese interpreter, said the bridge connects the hearts of Cambodian and Chinese peoples.

"This bridge will provide tremendous benefits to people because they will no longer get stuck in traffic, no longer spend money for crossing ferry and no longer wait for ferry," he told Xinhua.

"It will also give a boost to the tourism sector, facilitating tourists' travel to Kratie province and make travel and goods transportation easier," Vanny added.

Li Peng, a staff member of the Shanghai Construction Group, said the bridge will effectively facilitate communication between the people on both sides of the river.

"Once the bridge is completed, it will greatly promote local economic development and significantly improve the living standards of local residents," Li told Xinhua.