Construction of the first expressway on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, known as the "Roof of the World," started recently, according to the Communications Department of Qinghai Province, western China.

The expressway will run from Xining, capital of Qinghai to Ping 'an County. It will be part of the Xining-Lanzhou Expressway.

The 217-km expressway from Xining to Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province in northwest China, is more than 2,000 km above sea level. The new expressway will cost 4.5 billion yuan (about 540 million U. S. dollars).

The Qinghai Provincial Governor said that the expressway will greatly contribute to developing the economy in China's western regions.