An expressway linking the cities of Hoxud and Korla has been built after three years of construction in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the regional government said Thursday.

The 93-km-long expressway, first built in the region's Muslim-majority south, is expected to inject energy for economic development in the area.

The regional traffic committee said the expressway, which cost more than 2.4 billion yuan (about 300 million US dollars) has been checked, appraised and approved after a 50-day trial operation.

A key traffic project in China's ambitious plan to tap its resources in its underdeveloped western area, the expressway is also a major component of the No. 314 National Highway, which runs north to south across the vast autonomous region.