Transport investment boosts city's road and waterway projects

By Hu Yikai

The Yichang Transportation Bureau has committed 181.4 billion yuan ($25.3 billion) to 148 major transport projects. By 2028, investment in road and waterway infrastructure alone is expected to reach 100 billion yuan. The expressway network will eventually exceed 1,000 kilometers.

The city is currently expanding four sectors: road freight, water transport, cruise services, and passenger car rentals. Ten new road freight companies have joined the major operators list. Road freight turnover reached 85 billion tonne-kilometers while passenger turnover hit 2.2 billion passenger-kilometers. The fleet now includes 2,000 electric heavy trucks.

On the water, five new shipping companies have added 150,000 tonnes of capacity. Each operates vessels exceeding 50,000 deadweight tonnes. Two new energy passenger vessels have also entered service.

The ferry system faces major cuts. Over the next three years, Yichang will reduce ferry terminals and vessels by over 80 percent. All remaining terminals will shift to corporate operation and all ferry boats will convert to electric power.

Highway construction is also accelerating and this year, the city will complete the Yidu-Laifeng and Dangyang-Zhijiang-Songzi expressways. These routes include the new Zhijiang Yangtze River Bridge and will add 144 kilometers of highway, bringing the total expressway mileage to 892 kilometers.

Work will also start on the Yichang section of the Wuhan-Chongqing Expressway and the expansion of the Yichang Yangtze River Highway Bridge. This puts 63 kilometers of new expressway under construction. The city is also upgrading 200 kilometers of first- and second-class highways and 870 kilometers of rural roads. Workers are installing safety barriers and renovating rural bridges alongside these upgrades.