The second press conference of the Second Session of the 14th Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Congress and the Second Session of the 13th Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held at the news center for the two sessions of the autonomous region, where news was released and questions were answered regarding the high-quality economic and social development of Xinjiang.

　　It was introduced at the meeting that in 2024, Xinjiang will build a high-quality transportation infrastructure system and accelerate the realization of connecting the regions within Xinjiang in a ring, speeding up entry into and exit from Xinjiang, ensuring smooth flow between northern and southern Xinjiang, and linking up entry into and exit from the country. Transportation investment and construction will be advanced, with 63 highway construction projects implemented, and 52 continued projects accelerated, including the Urumqi–Yuli Expressway on the G0711 line, the capacity expansion and reconstruction of the Xingxingxia–Tuyugou section of the G30 line, the Zhaosu–Wensu section of the G219 line, and the Balati–Baluntai section of the G218 line. In 2024, it is planned to complete 1,200 kilometers of newly built or reconstructed national and provincial trunk highways of Class II and above, strive to complete 22 projects including the Altay–Burqin section of the G217 line, fully complete the Urumqi Ring Expressway, and newly provide access to expressways (Class I highways) for four counties: Bohu, Burqin, Habahe, and Jeminay.

　　At present, the Korla–Yuli section of the Urumqi–Yuli Expressway was completed and opened to traffic on September 30, 2023, and the expressway (Class I highway) ring around the Tarim Basin has been fully completed. The Haxionggou Tunnel has achieved full breakthrough of both the left and right tubes, and the Houxia No. 2 Bridge has completed closure ahead of schedule. The controlling project of the Urumqi–Yuli Expressway—the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, with a total length of 22.1 kilometers—strives to achieve breakthrough within 2024. Among this, the cumulative excavation of the middle pilot tunnel has reached 20,145 meters, completing 91%; the cumulative excavation of the left tunnel tube has reached 16,330 meters, completing 74%; and the cumulative excavation of the right tunnel tube has reached 16,040 meters, accounting for 73%.

　　Overall, the construction of the Urumqi–Yuli Expressway is being fully advanced, with the subgrade works cumulatively completed at 95%, the bridge and culvert works cumulatively completed at 65%, and the tunnel works cumulatively completed at 80%, and it is planned to open to traffic by the end of 2025. By then, the driving time from Urumqi to Korla will be shortened from about 6 hours to about 3 hours.

　　Rural roads remain a construction priority. In 2024, the whole of Xinjiang plans to complete an investment of 8 billion yuan in rural road construction projects, build and reconstruct 5,500 kilometers of rural roads, and newly provide access to Class III and above highways for 1 township and access to hardened roads for 30 relatively large natural villages (groups).

　　In 2024, Xinjiang will also focus on accelerating and improving the efficiency of preliminary work for projects such as the Kuitun–Dushanzi–Kuqa Expressway on the G3033 line and the Lapeiquan–Bashkurgan section on the G571 line.