On January 18, the 2024 Hunan Provincial Transportation Work Conference was held in Changsha, Hunan Province, to review the work of 2023 and deploy the work for 2024.

In 2023, Hunan completed transportation investment of 98.83 billion yuan, 117.7% of the annual target, providing strong support for Hunan's efforts to stabilize investment and growth. Four expressways totaling 200 kilometers—Baixin, Jingli, Zhitong, and Guanxin—were completed and opened to traffic, bringing the total mileage to 7,530 kilometers and the number of interprovincial expressway corridors to 29. A total of 332 kilometers of national and provincial trunk roads were completed. The second phase of the Xiangjiang Class II waterway project passed completion acceptance, the Jinweizhou second-line ship lock was completed and put into operation, 14 water transport projects including the Shili waterway progressed smoothly, and the Huaihua International Land Port was accelerated in its construction.

Hunan completed 5,790 kilometers of rural road upgrading and improvement, 7,118 kilometers of rural road safety facilities, and 2,106 kilometers of refined safety improvements on national and provincial trunk roads, reaching 116%, 119%, and 211% of the assessment targets, respectively.

Passenger and freight transport continued to recover. Over the year, passenger volume reached 290 million and passenger turnover 17.46 billion passenger-kilometers, up 3% and 17.7% year on year; freight volume reached 2.23 billion tons and freight turnover 202.15 billion ton-kilometers, up 7.2% and 5.5% year on year; container throughput reached 1.48 million TEUs, up 19.6% year on year.

Major logistics hubs were accelerated and improved. Hunan completed investment of 2.6 billion yuan in comprehensive freight hubs and started construction on 244 projects under the county-township-village three-tier logistics system.

The quality of transport services was improved across the board. The expressway "Three Guarantees, Three Major Improvements, and One Creation" campaign rectified more than 4,000 problems in total, cleaned up 516 spaces under bridges, repaired facilities at 3,641 toll stations, completed road greening and replanting, and removed all non-highway signs, initially presenting an image of "safety, smoothness, comfort, beauty, and excellence." A total of 28 pairs of expressway service areas completed quality improvement and renovation, and 1,389 charging parking spaces were built in total, achieving full coverage of service areas.

"In 2024, we will focus on ten areas of work, including planning and promoting Hunan's chapter in building a transportation powerhouse, effectively serving the province's efforts to stabilize investment and growth, fully supporting the modern industrial system and coordinated regional development, actively promoting logistics quality improvement, cost reduction, and efficiency enhancement, continuously strengthening transport support and service capacity, striving to create new momentum for transportation development, deepening reform to improve law-based governance capacity, solidly delivering practical transportation-related benefits to the people, firmly safeguarding the bottom line of safe industry development, and advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance in depth." Liu Yang, Party Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Department of Transportation, stated that the Hunan transportation system will go all out to stabilize investment, enhance vitality, prevent risks, ensure smooth flow, reduce costs, and improve quality and efficiency, striving to write Hunan's chapter in building a transportation powerhouse and serving as a pioneer in opening the way to realize the beautiful blueprint of "Three Highs and Four News" and build a modern new Hunan.

It is reported that in 2024, Hunan plans to complete transportation investment of more than 84 billion yuan for the year. For expressways, it will ensure the completion of four expressways totaling 261 kilometers—Hengyong, Yongling, Yuanchen, and Bainan—newly start expansion projects including the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Changsha-Zhuzhou and Zhuzhou-Leiyang sections, and accelerate the construction of 20 projects under construction totaling 1,593 kilometers. A total of 200 kilometers of national and provincial trunk roads will be completed. For inland river water transport, two port projects will be newly started, four 3,000-ton-class berths will be added, construction of the Zishui Taohuajiang Navigation-Power Hub will newly start, and the construction of projects under construction such as the Changsha-Chenglingji Class I waterway will be advanced. A total of 3,500 kilometers of rural roads will be upgraded and improved. For highway stations, 25 comprehensive passenger and freight hubs and 24 ordinary passenger and freight stations will be built.