Shanghai will set up a 1.1-kilometer extension on Riverside Avenue, with more restaurants and scenic spots along the Huangpu River, Shanghai Evening Post reported today.

The avenue will be extended at both of its ends by 500 to 600 meters each, reaching 2.7 kilometers.

The city will kick off the construction next year after a detailed scheme is approved.

Several restaurants will be set up in the avenue to add more attractions, along with the current 12 restaurants, cafes and coffee houses, such as Starbucks, the Paulaner, Lavazza, Hui Lau Shan from Hong Kong, HaagenDazs, and Fuga.

The avenue, lying along the eastern bank of the Huangpu River and facing the Bund to its west, has become a popular place for tourists and residents alike to relax and sightsee.

The avenue covers a total area of 150,000 square meters, running from Dongchang Road in the south to Taitong Road in the north, separated in the middle by Lujiazui Road W.

More tourists are willing to visit the Pudong New Area, as more restaurants, stores and scenic spots are being set up. In the first five months of this year, restaurants have brought more than 1.8 billion yuan (US$225 million) to Pudong, growing 17 percent from a year earlier.

(Shanghai Daily July 26, 2006)