Northwest China's Gansu Province sped up the implementation of its communications project last year with an investment of 12.1 billion yuan (1.5 billion U.S. dollars), said the provincial communications department.

The department said the investment was 16 percent higher than that in 2004.

In 2005, the province spent 6.9 billion yuan (852 million U.S. dollars) in key road construction projects.

It newly completed 320 kilometers of expressway, making Gansu's total mileage to 1,006 kilometers.

At the same time, the building projects of 353 kilometers of expressway have already started.

The department also said Gansu invested 2.1 billion yuan (259 million U.S. dollars) in rebuilding its road network, which are primarily constituted by national and provincial highways.