The Beijing-Shanghai Expressway is now operational. The 1,262-km expressway, which cost 39.3 billion yuan (US$4.73 billion), is mainly four-lane and connects the municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong and Jiangsu. As a major transport channel joining east and west China, the expressway will help relieve traffic between the metropolises, improve the local investment environment and speed up urbanization.

(Eastday.com 12/18/2000)