Yixing-Changxing Expressway to open in January

The Jiangsu section of the 24.45-kilometer Yixing-Changxing Expressway will open next month, as construction on its main structure has been completed, local media reported on Dec 23.

With a design maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour, traveling between Yixing city in Jiangsu province and Changxing county in Zhejiang province will take just 10 minutes, down from 50 minutes previously.

The new expressway started construction in September, 2017. In order to minimize the damage and impact on the environment, four tunnels were built to connect Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

The 2,531-meter Putaoling tunnel, one of the key parts of the project, runs through the 611-meter-tall Mount Huangtading, the highest mountain in southern Jiangsu province.

Lian Qiang, deputy director of the Yixing-Changxing Expressway construction command, said that the new expressway is expected to greatly benefit the economy and tourism development in the surrounding rural areas.

Lian added that as a result, Yixing and Wuxi will quicken steps to join the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, thanks to the new efficiency of transport.