HONG KONG and Shenzhen announced Thursday a new cross-border checkpoint would be built.

The news was released at a meeting between Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief of Development of HKSAR, and Shenzhen Executive Vice Mayor Li Feng in Hong Kong.

The checkpoint to link Liantang in Luohu with Heung Yuen Wai in Hong Kong¡¯s New Territories will cost 9.6 billion yuan (US.4 billion) and be ready by 2018. It is expected to help reduce congestion at existing checkpoints.

The new checkpoint will be designed to enable vehicles from other cities to cross the border without entering downtown Shenzhen. According to preliminary estimates, the checkpoint will handle 28,000 container trailers a day.