On April 6, Wang Songbo, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Ministry of Transport, stated at the launch ceremony of the "Viewing China Along Expressways" themed publicity campaign:

　　"China has built the world's largest expressway network, covering about 99% of cities with an urban population of over 200,000 and all prefecture-level administrative centers. Expressways account for 3.1% of total highway mileage but carry more than half of the freight volume. The development of expressways also reflects China's comprehensive national strength and power."

　　The Development History of China's Expressways



　　Since the completion and opening of the first expressway, the Shanghai-Jiading Expressway, in 1988, China's expressway construction has gone through three stages: initial (1988-1992), acceleration (1993-1997), and major development (1998 to present). Since 2013, China's total expressway mileage has ranked first in the world. By the end of 2019, the total expressway mileage open to traffic reached 149,600 kilometers, with a compound annual growth rate of 27% from 1988 to 2019.


　　Investment in New Expressway Projects Will Not Decrease in the Next 15 Years


　　The mileage and quality of China's expressways are still improving, providing abundant high-quality targets for extension mergers and acquisitions. From 2010 to 2019, China's expressway mileage increased from 74,100 kilometers to 149,600 kilometers, with a compound growth rate of 8.12%. According to the 2019 Statistical Bulletin on the Development of the Transport Industry, in 2019, the national investment in new expressway construction was 1.15 trillion yuan, and investment in new expressway projects will remain undiminished in the next 15 years.

　　At present, China's expressways have achieved "one network" operation, greatly shortening time and space distances and significantly improving transport service efficiency. Expressways have fully played the role of the main artery, carrying 58.2% of highway freight volume with 3.1% of total mileage. Looking ahead to 2035, national expressways will connect all prefecture-level administrative centers and cities and counties with urban populations of over 100,000, directly serving 90% of the country's county-level administrative regions.

　　By then, China will have a world-class expressway network that matches a modern powerful country, integrates with information networks, and coordinates with ecological civilization, strongly supporting the realization of the goal of building a country with strong transportation.