Beijing will repair more than 40 main roads and construct 27 artery roads and nine expressways this year in its preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games, official sources said.

 

The Chinese capital will invest 870 million yuan (US$111.5 million) to repair and renovate the east-west artery Chang'an Avenue, according to the municipal transportation committee.

 

Liu Qi, secretary of the Beijing municipal committee of the Communist Party of China, said on Thursday that 2007 is the "decisive year" for the city to make preparations for the Games.

 

Beside the road repair and construction projects, Beijing will lay emphases on the development of light railways and subways. The city will start four new projects while continuing with five ongoing ones, including the airport light rail line, according to the transportation committee.

 

The No. 5 subway will be put into operation in September.

 

The city aims to use more clean energy, according to its ambitious transportation upgrading plan. Ninety percent of buses will use clean energy such as liquefied petroleum gas, and all the bus signs inside the Fourth Ring Road and near the Olympic Sports Center will use solar energy.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2007)