By the month-end, two expressways will have been completed, two city streets widened and one bridge both widened and opened, easing the flow of traffic within the city and with nearby provinces, officials said.

So far this year, the city has spent a total of 4.77 billion yuan (US$574.7 million) on four of the five projects, said Jin Jiamo, a spokesman for the municipal Engineering Administration Bureau. The fifth is privately funded.

The government-funded projects include construction of the 18.3-kilometer second phase of the Outer Ring Road and the widening of Wuning Road Bridge over the Suzhou Creek.

The privately funded project, the second phase of the Jiading-Liuhe Express-way was completed early last month by city-run Shanghai Urban Construction (Group) Corp. and privately owned Shanghai Mexan Holdings Co. Ltd., linking Shanghai with Jiangsu Province. The 450-million-yuan project is a stepping stone for expanding Shanghai's expressway network without having to use city funds, Jin added.

Bureau Vice Director Gu Shilong said more than 17 billion yuan will be allocated to lengthen four express-ways, such as the Huqingping and Tongsan.