But skeptics argue that dilapidated infrastructure on both sides of the river will turn it into "a bridge to nowhere."

The long-delayed bridge linking Vidin in Bulgaria with Calafat in Romania was opened at a ceremony attended by top politicians of the two countries and EU officials.

The 282 million euros ($375 million) project was backed by 106 million euros from the European Union, which both countries joined in 2007; the rest came from national financing and private investments. It is part of the Pan-European transport corridor IV, linking Dresden in Germany with the Aegean port city of Thessaloniki and Istanbul further east.

The cable-stayed, steel and concrete bridge has two traffic lanes in each direction, a railway line, two pedestrian paths and a bicycle track. Overall, the bridge is 3,598 meters (11,804 feet) long, with 1,791 meters over the river.

The only other bridge between the two Balkan countries, linking the cities of Ruse and Giurgiu, was completed in 1954.

In Vidin, local officials hope new businesses will open along the roads leading to the bridge, which is expected to be crossed annually by 100,000 vehicles.

New jobs are badly needed in this northwestern corner of Bulgaria, which together with southwestern Romania and northeastern Serbia compose one of the poorest and most depopulated regions in Europe.

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