| Chinese
government plans to extend the country's expressway network by 85,000 kilometers
in the next 30 years at an estimated cost of two trillion yuan (250 billion U.S.
dollars), under a plan drawn up by the Ministry of Communications. The
expressway network plan, which takes into account regional, urban and rural development
and population distribution, shows the government will spend 390 billion yuan
in eastern China, 520 billion yuan in central areas, and 1.09 trillion yuan in
west China. The
plan shows the total length of the network will reach 42,000 kilometers by the
end of 2007, and 50,000 to 55,000 kilometers by 2010. The
country's road network strategy aims at integrating expressways and local roads
to meet transport needs and support economic growth. The
expressway network will connect all provincial capitals and cities of at least
500,000 people by the end of 2010, and link major economic hubs such as the Pearl
River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and the Bohai Sea Rim areas. Economic
growth has resulted in increasing traffic volumes, with the number of motor vehicles
rising by 15 to 30 percent annually, with a 30-fold increase in private vehicle
ownership from 1985 to 2004.
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