Northeast China's Liaoning Province will spend 6 billion yuan (US$750 million) to set up a road to connect all its coastal cities in the coming five years.

The 1,443-kilometre road along Bohai Bay will be funded by the local Liaoning provincial government and transportation bureau, said Li Wancai, vice-governor of Liaoning provincial government.

It will start from Dandong in the north and end in Huludao in the south, connecting all five coastal cities, 25 ports and 228 industrial zones of the province.

"This coastal road, along with our expressway system, will connect the whole region and help put new energy into ports, industrial zones and tourism. All this would contribute to the formation of a golden coastal line in the northeastern part of China," said Li.

Liaoning has 2,421 kilometers of coastline and about one-third of its cities are located along the coast.

Construction has already begun on parts of the road in three of the coastal cities Yingkou, Dalian and Dandong. Yingkou's 80-kilometre stretch is expected to be completed by the end of the year, according to Zhu Shaoyi, director of Yingkou coastal development zone.

Liaoning has already set up an expressway network covering all its 14 cities. All five coastal cities have highways, but have only internal transport networks. The ongoing coastal road project will emphasize the new coastal development zone, according to Feng Guisheng, a researcher from Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.

"Good transportation and a good distribution system are a must for development. This road will encourage the flow of goods," said Feng.

(China Daily April 25, 2006)