The Zhanjiang Transport Bureau has recently announced that the city will invest 21 billion yuan ($3.14 billion) into 60 transportation projects in 2019.
A large proportion of the budget, 15.23 billion yuan, will be spent on road construction. Work on the Donghai Island-Leizhou Peninsula, Yulin-Zhanjiang, and Shantou-Zhanjiang expressways will be accelerated, as will construction on the Tiaoshun Bridge and Zhanjiang Avenue. Preparatory work on the Guangdong Coastal Highway's Zhanjiang section will also be advanced.
Construction on the Tiaoshun Bridge is in full swing. [Photo by Lang Shuchen/Zhanjiang Evening Post]
Water transport is expected to receive 4.02 billion yuan in investments in 2019. Construction on the cargo-passenger ro-ro terminal at the Nanshan operation zone of Xuwen Port will be completed, offering a new channel across the Qiongzhou Strait to the Hainan free trade zone. Work on a slew of wharfs will also be pushed forward.
In addition, the city will spend 1 billion yuan on preliminary construction work on the 4E-level (the second highest rating in China's five-tier airfield rating system) Zhanjiang International Airport, while also connecting it with road and railway networks.
The construction site of the Zhanjiang International Airport. [Photo by Zhang Fengfeng/Zhanjiang Daily]
Meanwhile, railway investment is estiamted at 500 million yuan. Construction on the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang, Hepu-Zhanjiang, and Zhanjiang-Hai'an high-speed railways will begin this year, and preparations for the Huaihua-Zhanjiang section of the Zhangjiajie-Haikou High-Speed Railway will be expedited.
Other priorities include the promotion of new energy buses and the renovation of rural roads.