World's highest expressway opens to traffic

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 28, 2021 shows a section of the Lhasa-Nagqu high-grade highway (R) and the Qinghai-Tibet railway in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

LHASA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The world's highest expressway, running between the city of Nagqu and Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, went into operation on Saturday, with the opening of the final 227-km section between Nagqu and Yangbajain, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The Nagqu-Lhasa expressway, running 295 km with an average altitude of over 4,500 meters, is part of the expressway linking Beijing and Lhasa, and is the first highway connecting Lhasa and the grasslands of northern Tibet.

Its operation will shorten the drive between Lhasa and the city of Nagqu to three hours from more than six.

It will significantly enlarge the transport capacity and improve the level of security of the corridor connecting Tibet with northwest China's Qinghai Province, said an official with the ministry.

The Yangbajain-Lhasa section of the expressway opened to traffic in October 2020.