China builds through expressway linking epicenter with outside on quake anniversary

Source: Xinhua | 05-13-2009 08:31

CHENGDU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A 26-km highway connecting Yingxiu town and Dujiangyan city, both hardest-hit by last year's massive earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province, was put through Tuesday.

The newly finished expressway, with two lanes in each direction, would help boost transport capacity between Dujiangyan and Yingxiu to better serve reconstruction in quake areas.

Previously, vehicles carrying reconstruction materials could only go to the epicenter area through a section of the No. 213 national highway between Dujiangyan and Yingxiu. Heavy traffic load has been hindering reconstruction efforts at the epicenter areas.

The expressway linking Yingxiu with Dujiangyan was ruined in the quake before it was put into use.

A pier along the expressway was ruptured, 295 meters of Longxi tunnel collapsed, and 1,931 meters of Zipingpu tunnel were severely damaged in the quake, causing a loss of 2.2 billion yuan (323.5 million U.S. dollars).

The expressway also leads to Wenchuan County through a second-grade highway linking Yingxiu town with the county seat.

Construction on the expressway started in December 2003 with an investment of 3.16 billion yuan. The expressway was nearing completion when the quake struck on May 12 last year.