Jingli Expressway Opens, Connecting Hunan and Guizhou Provinces
China News Service, Huaihua – On June 30th, the Jingli Expressway officially opened to traffic, linking Jingzhou Miao and Dong Autonomous County in Hunan Province to Liping County in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou. This new expressway adds a crucial transportation channel in Hunan and Guizhou, effectively connecting multiple expressways in the provinces and improving the regional road network.
Construction of the Jingli Expressway began on July 10, 2020, and it spans a total distance of 56.98 kilometers. With a two-way four-lane design and a maximum driving speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the expressway represents an investment of 5.649 billion yuan. Starting from Xinchong Junction in Jingzhou County, it connects to the Huaihua Section of G65 Baomao Expressway, ends at Jiepai on the border of Hunan and Guizhou, and links up with the completed and opened-to-traffic Lijing Expressway in Guizhou Province via the Jiepai Tunnel. The new expressway has reduced travel time from Jingzhou County to Liping County from 90 minutes to just 45 minutes.
Recognized as one of the first demonstration projects under the Ministry of Transport’s “Safe Centennial Quality Project,” the Jingli Expressway is a key construction project in Hunan Province’s “14th Five-Year Plan.” It is also one of the local encrypted lines within the “Seven Vertical and Seven Horizontal” expressway network in the province. Furthermore, it is the first of four expressways, including Jingli, Guanxin, Zhitong, and Baixin, that Hunan plans to open to traffic this year. Since its opening, the Jingli Expressway has significantly improved travel and logistics conditions for the local population, stimulating the economic development of Miao and Dong ethnic minority areas.
The opening of the expressway has also been welcomed by businesses. Li Huanguo, chairman of Jingzhou Guoling Technology Co., Ltd., a company specializing in the production and sales of Poria cocos strains, fresh Poria cocos, and dried Poria cocos. He expressed that Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi are important regions for their raw materials and sales. The Jingli Expressway will considerably reduce transportation costs, making it more convenient for foreign businessmen to visit Jingzhou and make purchases.
SF Express driver Luo Changchun, who drove on the Jingli Expressway on its opening day, praised the new infrastructure. He noted, “In the past, deliveries from Jingzhou to Guizhou had to take a detour through Changsha, but now special products like red bayberry and poria cocos from Jingzhou can be delivered to Liping, Guizhou in less than an hour.”
The opening of the Jingli Expressway marks a significant milestone in improving connectivity and transportation efficiency between Hunan and Guizhou provinces. The new expressway is expected to drive economic growth and foster development in the region.