East China's Jiangsu Province plans to spend 180 billion yuan (about 22.5 billion US dollars) on the construction of transport links during the 2006-2010 period, according to sources with the provincial communication bureau.

An official with the bureau said Jiangsu Province will strive to make the total expressway mileage reach 4,000 km, build and rebuild 3,000 km of provincial highways and build and rebuild 40,000 km of roads in its rural areas.

By the end of the 2006-2010 period, all villages in Jiangsu will be connected by roads.

In addition, Jiangsu will create two efficient river routes, with a total length of 650 km, as well as building ten ship locks.

Ports will double their goods handling capacity by 2010, which will be 800 million tons in 2010.