On December 21, it was learned from the Transport Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that as of the end of November, rural road construction investment in Xinjiang in 2017 reached 41.646 billion yuan (RMB, same below), with 28,000 kilometers of rural roads newly built and reconstructed, making it the year with the largest rural road investment and the most construction mileage in the history of Xinjiang's transport construction.
Many rural areas in Xinjiang are located in remote mountainous regions, and rural roads are the main channels for farmers and herdsmen in plateau mountainous areas and deep in the desert to travel and for the flow of goods.
Xinjiang has attached importance to rural road construction over the years. During the "12th Five-Year Plan" period, Xinjiang exceeded its rural road "smooth and enriching the people" project construction tasks for five consecutive years, completing a total of 21.814 billion yuan in rural road construction investment and 38,029 kilometers of newly built and continued reconstruction mileage. As of the end of 2016, the total mileage of rural roads in Xinjiang was 120,200 kilometers (excluding the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps), but there were still 347 administrative villages without asphalt roads and 60 administrative villages without roads.
Shi Deming, Director of the Rural Road Management Division of the Xinjiang Transport Department, introduced that in 2017, Xinjiang's rural road warm-hearted benefit project continued to be implemented. Localities raised funds through multiple channels and integrated technical forces to accelerate rural road construction, building cement roads to the doorsteps of villagers, herdsmen, and border residents as much as possible.
In addition to smooth rural roads, Xinjiang also added 132 administrative villages (companies) with bus services in 2017, with a bus service rate of 97.7%. By the end of 2017, the total mileage of rural roads in Xinjiang is expected to reach 125,000 kilometers, with a township access rate of 100% and a smooth rate of 99.5%, and an administrative village access rate of 99.6% and a smooth rate of 98%. The smoothness level of rural roads has improved significantly. By 2020, Xinjiang will achieve the goal of "expressways in every county, asphalt roads in every township, and hardened roads in every village."