China's high-quality rural roads support rural revitalization: official

NANCHANG, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- China has newly built and renovated 118,000 km of rural roads in the first three quarters of 2023, achieving more than 90 percent of the annual target, according to a government official.

In the same period, fixed-asset investment in rural roads hit 358.7 billion yuan (about 50 billion U.S. dollars), up 5.1 percent year on year, Vice Minister of Transport Wang Gang said at a relevant meeting held recently in Jinggangshan, a city in east China's Jiangxi Province.

Wang added that the Ministry of Transport has been promoting the high-quality development of rural roads to support the country's rural revitalization strategy, speed up the modernization of agriculture and rural regions, as well as promote common prosperity.

He noted that 5,409 dangerous bridges on rural roads were renovated, and 15,000 speed bumps were installed at 7,679 level crossings across the country in the first three quarters.

The official added that the ministry will in the next step make greater efforts in promoting the reconstruction of old rural roads, the widening of existing roads that are too narrow, as well as the construction of passing bays.

It will also promote the construction of green roads and accelerate the development of a rural road-based economy, with the aim of bringing more prosperity to different regions through the development of high-quality rural roads, Wang said.

As of the end of 2022, the total mileage of rural roads in China stood at 4.53 million km, according to Wang.