A 453-METER section of Wanghai Road in Nanshan District that has remained unfinished for years because of land disputes could finally open to the public within the year.

    The unfinished section of the road, near Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, has widely been blamed for blocking traffic between Shekou and downtown Shenzhen and affecting commutes for more than 400,000 Shekou residents.

    At a recent meeting, Shekou Subdistrict Office said the road project’s land dispute with a Shekou wharf owner, Zhenhua Port Co., had been solved and construction of the road will begin soon.

    The renovation of Shekou Port will also be launched soon, turning the area into an upgraded neighborhood with abundant landscaping.

    The 6-kilometer Wanghai Road, which runs along Shekou Peninsula, was designed to be a trunk road for commuters from Shekou to downtown Shenzhen. But it has yet to fully open, after 10 years of construction.

    Construction of the road started in July 2002. The road was expected to vastly improve commutes from the Nanhai Rose Garden and Peninsula City residential developments to downtown.

    “After the road is fully open, it could save me at least an hour a day in commuting,” said a Rose Garden resident surnamed Zhang, who cited the current need to use other roads that are often jammed in morning rush hours.

    Lin Yuchun, deputy director of Nanshan District People’s Congress, said the unfinished road affects 400,000 commuters and increases operating costs for logistics companies and other area businesses.

    Residents expected the road to open after Shenzhen Bay Park was put into use in August last year. But the project was halted several times because of land disputes between enterprises and institutions along the route.

    (Han Ximin)