THE country is losing more than US$10 billion a year from its expressways, domestic media reported last week, despite levying hefty tolls on the world’s largest highway network.

    China spent 431 billion yuan (US$69 billion) on building, maintaining and operating highways in 2013, but only took in 365 billion yuan from tolls, media reported, citing the Ministry of Transport.

    For years, the building of roads, high-speed rail lines and other infrastructure projects helped China hit double-digit gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

    But with the economy slowing and authorities working to fight graft, the government is increasing scrutiny on spending.

    Laying one kilometer of highway cost about 91 million yuan in 2013, an 80 percent increase from 2011, according to the Ministry of Transport’s annual report.

    Under current regulations, local transport bureaus can collect tolls for 15 years to recoup the cost of building highways. But many have also applied for extensions for what they say are maintenance costs, media said.

    Experts said the move was really a loophole designed to fill local coffers rather than improve roads, and construction costs are often inflated in order to ensure continued toll collection, newspapers said.

    China has the longest highway network in the world with 156,500 kilometers of expressways, including more than 100,000 kilometers of toll roads.

    It began collecting highway tolls in 1984 and nearly all roads built since then have been funded by those fees, according to the Ministry of Transport report.

    Many drivers bemoan the ubiquitous tolls fees, which can make driving between two cities or taking road trips prohibitively expensive.

    (SD-Agencies)