Zhejiang mother river's mid, upper reaches open to traffic

The middle and upper reaches, or the Quzhou section of Qiantang River, a mother river of Zhejiang province, are now open to traffic, announced the province's deputy governor Gao Xingfu on Jan 2 in Longyou port area, Quzhou.

The Longyou port area of Quzhou port was also opened for service on the same day.

It took 14 years to finish the 3.2 billion yuan ($464 million) project, according to Fan Honghao, director of the project.

The project included constructing two cascaded hydropower plants, two mooring areas, and four ship locks, dredging a 57-kilometer watercourse, renovating two bridges and establishing other supporting facilities.

The two events are of great importance to complete Quzhou's transport system of water, road, rail and air.

Companies in Quzhou can now deliver their bulk cargos by inland water-borne transport, which can lower logistics costs for them, noted Fang Shizhong, president of Quzhou Communications Investment Group Co Ltd.

"We keep following the project's progress," said Jin Jun, general manager of a local logistics company. "The navigable Quzhou section of Qiangtang River will bring huge benefits to local logistics companies."

Jin predicted that his company will save 70 million yuan each year if they start delivering their goods by water.

The Quzhou section is accessible for ships weighing one kiloton and it is expected to deliver 17.6 million tons of cargo in a year, save approximately 200 million yuan annually for local companies and offer 5,000 jobs, according to Fang Shizhong.