A 117.3-kilometer freeway between Jinzhou and Fuxin cities in Liaoning Province was opened to traffic on Wednesday, bringing the total length of freeways in this northwestern province to 1,637 kilometers.

The new freeway, which links the No.101 Cross-country Highway, the Beijing-Shenyang Freeway, and the No.102 Cross-country Highway,leads to the eastern part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The new road, with an investment of 2.78 billion yuan (334.9 million US dollars), is designed to improve road connections between the Port of Jinzhou and Fuxin, one of the largest coal andpower producers in the province.

Liaoning plans to build a further 4,453 kilometers of highway during the 10th five-year plan period (2001-2005), bringing its total highway length to 50,000 kilometers, according to local officials.

( People's Daily August 22, 2002)