Shanghai has announced a basic completion of its 560-kilometer fan-shaped expressway network on Friday.

The city has been speeding up its expressway network construction in the past five years, building eight expressways with a combined length of about 400 kilometers.

According to the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Administration, the city's current expressway network allows people to enter the network within 15 minutes, switch to any expressway within 30 minutes and arrive at any spot on the network within 60 minutes.

Shi Guanghui, deputy director of the bureau, said the new expressway network will provide easier access to the city's two transportation hubs, Yangshan Deep-water Port and Pudong International Airport.

In addition, drivers coming from other provinces such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu to enter Shanghai will have more route options thanks to the network, Shi said.

The newly built southern section of the A30 freeway intersects the A6 and A7 expressways in Shanghai's suburban Jinshan District.

The expressway was built in part to provide easier access to Shanghai from the neighboring Zhejiang Province, and is expected to divert part of the traffic from the overloaded Shanghai-Hangzhou expressway.

"The expressway network will also strengthen Shanghai's radiant influence in the Yangtze River Delta regions and facilitate the economic development of the city's outskirts in the intercity communications," Shi said.

He also said in the next five years, Shanghai government would mainly focus on the construction of main roads, more expressways and roads connecting Shanghai with neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.

The city's main road network is expected to measure 1,200 kilometers in total length and expressway network will span 880 kilometers by 2010, according to the bureau.

Shi also unveiled that a freeway will be built to link the city's Pudong International Airport with three cities in Zhejiang Province Hangzhou, Huzhou and Jiaxing.

(China Daily December 26, 2005)