Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway Opens to Traffic

The Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway, located at the border area of Hunan and Guizhou provinces, was completed and opened to traffic at 10:00 on November 24, 2023.

The opening ceremony of the Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway kicked off at 10:00 on November 24, 2023. (Photo/Peng Kexin, Hunan Daily)

Hunan Province currently has planned 31 provincial outward expressway corridors and the newly-opened Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway is identified as the 29th one, said the Department of Transportation of Hunan Province. In the future, the travel time between Hunan's Huaihua and Guizhou's Tongren will be shortened to less than an hour.

On November 24, the Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway was opened to traffic. (Photo/Tong Di, Hunan Daily)

On November 24, the Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway was opened to traffic. (Photo/Tong Di, Hunan Daily)

The 33.48-km main route of Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway is a typical mountainous road. The four-lane standard expressway has a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour. It connects to the Hangzhou-Ruili, Shanghai-Kunming, and Baotou-Maoming expressways nearby, convenient for tourists to make driving tours. Through the Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway, travelers can directly reach various tourist destinations such as Chongqing, Tongren, Huaihua, Jishou, and Zhangjiajie in the Wuling mountainous area, experiencing the distinctive charm of different regions and cultures.

The Xihuangshan Interchange of Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway. (Photo/Tong Di, Hunan Daily)

The Tuochong Grand Bridge of Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway. (Photo/Tong Di, Hunan Daily)

The opening of Zhijiang-Tongren Expressway will increase the transportation capacity of the road network, and facilitate the circulation and trade of agricultural products. It will promote the integration of rural resources and the circulation of agricultural products, and help transform and upgrade the rural economy. Since driving tour is popular now, the newly-opened expressway will also bring more employment opportunities for local farmers through agritainment and rural tourism, assisting poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.