Wang Wengui, head of the Shenzhen City Transport Bureau, said the funding will mainly be used to build and upgrade a number of expressways, and construct 117 km of new highways.

By the year 2005,operational highways in Shenzhen will total 1,750 km, with the density of highways amounting to 86 km per 100 sqkm of land.

In the next five years, more buses, containers vehicles and trucks will be added to the city's transportation services, said Wang.

This year alone, one billion yuan will be invested in highway construction, said the official.

So far, the city has 1,547 km of operational highways, with the density of highways reaching 74 km per 100 sq km of land. More than 1,700 motor vehicles are engaged in transportation of passengers.

Shenzhen, facing Hong Kong across a river, is known as a boomtown.

(Eastday 03/01/2001)