Shanghai Daily News

The northern stretch of the Hulu Highway and the southeastern section of the Suburban Ring Road were opened to traffic yesterday after two years' construction.

The 42.3-kilometer-long Hulu Highway, or A2 Expressway, will link the Outer Ring Road's Kangqiao tollgate and Lingang New City of Nanhui District by the end of next year after its southern stretch is completed. The southern part will reach to the under-construction Donghai Bridge, offering fast access to the Yangshan Deep Water Port.

The finished northern stretch, starting from Kangqiao tollgate and running to Nicheng Town in Nanhui District, covers 34.7 kilometers with a total investment of 2.4 billion yuan (US$289 million).

Drivers can now cover the distance within 30 minutes, while the drive previously took 90 minutes, according to the Shanghai Engineering Administrative Bureau.

The finished southeast part of the Suburban Ring Road, or the A30 Expressway, starts from Jiehe area in Fengxian District and runs to Puxing Road in Nanhui District, stretching 46 kilometers with an investment of 2.27 billion yuan.

Workers still need to finish a six-kilometer stretch to complete the whole southeastern expansion.

Currently, the A30 Expressway has opened its Tongsan Highway stretch, part of the northern stretch and southeast stretch to traffic.

"The entire A30 Expressway is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year," said Dong Hui, an official with the engineering bureau. "The A30 Expressway's circumference will be close to 200 kilometers, doubling that of the Outer Ring Road."