Chinese transport officials have budgeted six months for an inspection of the unfinished New Yalu River Bridge, an announcement calling for contractor bids showed in early March, a new indicator of progress on a long-delayed keynote China-North Korea construction project.

The development, first reported by Japanese media outlet Nikkei, comes as some sources told NK News on Wednesday that they expected the bridge to open in the second half of 2021. But even a partial opening would require an end to North Korea's ongoing suspension of border movement, in place to prevent COVID-19 from entering the country since summer 2020, which one analyst doubted could happen any time this year.