According to local officials, three expressways from Lanzhou, the province's capital city, to its three other major cities are currently under construction, and another two expressways to its neighboring provinces will begin construction soon.

"We plan to invest 13.9 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion) to construct a dozen high-grade highways over the next several years," an official with the provincial planning commission said.

According to the official, along with the construction of the high-grade highway network with Lanzhou at the core, the province will also make efforts to improve the condition of its highways -- 80 percent of its trunk roads will be improved to the second-class level in the country.

The poor natural and economic conditions have long restrained Gansu's traffic improvement. By the end of 1998 the province had only 13 km of expressways.

"The central government's strategy to develop western regions has brought us a great opportunity, the poor traffic conditions will soon be improved under the west development drive," said a local official.

(Xinhua 10/04/2000)