Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

SHENZHEN drivers to eastern Guangdong Province during the Spring Festival holiday rush now have more options thanks to the new expressways that were put into use last year.

Drivers to the Chaoshan area are advised to take Boshen Expressway, Huiguan Expressway and Chaohui Expressway. A one-way trip is 70 kilometers shorter than via the Shenzhen-Shantou Expressway and could shave 60 minutes off the trip, according to a report released by Shenzhen Expressway Group Corp. on Monday.

The opening of Qinglian Expressway and Guangle Expressway also offers an alternative route for drivers from Shenzhen to Hunan and Hubei provinces and relieves traffic on Jingzhu Expressway.

If the Huiyan Expressway is crowded, drivers to Huizhou, Heyuan and Jiangxi Province are advised to take the Guanghui Expressway before turning to Yuegan Expressway.

The expressways will be toll free for light vehicles between Feb. 15 and 20, the Spring Festival holidays. The Humen section of Guangshen Expressway, the Qinghu-SCC section of Jihe Expressway, the Shenzhen section of Huiyan Expressway, the Luotian section of Longda Expressway and Humen Bridge are the most likely congested areas during holiday travel periods.

The Spring Festival transport rush for vehicles leaving the city is expected to start Feb. 12 and reach its peak between Feb. 12 and 14. The peak for vehicles returning to Shenzhen after the holidays is expected to be between Feb. 20 and 21.

In another development, the northern Guangdong section of Jingzhu Expressway opened to traffic Monday after a closure of 251 hours due to icy and snowy weather. A total of 310,000 vehicles that had been stranded on the expressway have been driven away.

During the closure, the Leguang Expressway played an important role in diverting stranded vehicles on Jingzhu Expressway.