Vice Transport Minister Weng Mengyong said that the road and waterway traffic in the central region has made important gains from 2005 to 2010, Xinhua reports.

    Over this period, the ministry increased investment on surface infrastructure in central China, spending CNY138.9 billion (US$21.8 billion) on roads and CNY2.5 billion on waterways.

    As of the end of 2010, six central provinces have 1.1 million kilometres of roads in open, 172,000 kilometres more than in 2005, 14,481 kilometres are national expressways, taking up 81.4 per cent of the development target.

    Meanwhile, central Yangtze navigation channels have been upgraded, including those on tributaries such as the Hanjiang, Xiangjiang and Ganjiang rivers. A number of large port areas, including Wuhan's Yangluo, Changsha's Xianing, Jiujiang's Chengxi and Wuhu's Zhujiaqiao ports were built in this period.

    In 2010, the six provinces posted river cargo volumes of 670 million tonnes and a port throughput of 920 million tonnes, 290 per cent and 180 per cent more than in 2005.

    Mr Weng said the central region traffic now has new development targets towards a more integrated, safer and green transportation network that serve as a more important hub in China.

(source:www.schednet.com)