Birthplace of New China to Build More Expressways

Birthplace of New China Ends History of No Expressway

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Yan'an City, known as the cradle of the Chinese revolution, in northwest China, will build more highways in the 2001-05 period.

According to Wang Xia, secretary of the Yan'an City Committee of the Communist Party of China, total investment for highway construction in the period will reach 14 billion yuan (1.7 billion US dollars).

The Tongchuan-Huangling expressway, which runs through the area, was completed and opened to traffic in April this year. It has ended the city's history of having no expressways, Wang said.

The Yan'an-Ansai expressway is being built and will be open to traffic by the end of 2003.

Also, construction of the 147.7-km Yan'an-Huangling expressway, with an estimated total investment of 5.48 billion yuan (670 million US dlrs), will begin this year.

Located in the heart of the Loess Plateau, Yan'an has rich coal, oil and gas resources, but its highway conditions are poor, blocking its economic development.