Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    SHENZHEN will invest 74.3 billion yuan (US$11.43 billion) for the construction of transport infrastructure in its Move East effort, it was announced yesterday.

    The projects include the East Cross-border Expressway, the Outer Ring Expressway, the Pingyan Expressway, the third phase of the Nanping Expressway, expansion of Jihe, Huiyan and Yanlong expressways.

    The Chunfeng Road tunnel, which links the East Cross-border Expressway and Donghu Overpass on the Danping Expressway, are also parts of the Move East action.

    “The Move East program is to build strategic transport structures linking Luohu, Yantian with Longgang, Pingshan and Dapeng and support eastern expansion of the urban city,” Xiong Guowei, head of the Shenzhen transport commission, said at a meeting held to deliberate 10 infrastructure plans.

    In addition to road projects, the city will speed up construction of the Phase 3 of the Shekou Line, Phase 1 of Line 8 and start construction of the eastern extension of the Longgang Line this year. The construction plan of Line 14 linking Longgang and Pingshan and lines 16,17 have been handed to the Central Government for approval.

    According to the 10 plans, Shenzhen will support extending the city center to Longhua and Guangming. The road network in the city’s west will also be improved to support the development of Qianhai, the Bao’an CBD and the airport area.

    The infrastructure project in the city’s central and western areas will cost about 83.7 billion yuan.