A new expressway linking Shenzhen, Dongguan and 10 other highways to various Guangdong cities will provide an alternative for intercity travelers in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) industrial hub.

Construction will begin in mid-2008 and the project is expected to be completed within three years.

The 106-km expressway will be the longest one in Shenzhen, said a spokesman for the municipal communications bureau after a three-day conference to review the project with provincial and Dongguan officials.

The expressway will start from Bao'an District, go through Fenggang in Dongguan City and end at Kuichong in Longgang District, Shenzhen.

The expressway will run through Shajing, Guanlan, Pingdi, Kengzi and Pingshan.

A 13-km line will link the expressway with downtown Shenzhen.

The expressway will link with the planned Yanjiang Expressway, the second expressway to link Shenzhen and Guangzhou, at the new expressway's starting point in Bao'an District.

"The project will be part of the province's expressway network, and it will provide easier access to other Pearl River Delta cities," said Xu Juehui, a spokesman for Shenzhen's communications bureau.

The project, including seven tunnels, 66 bridges and 23 flyovers, is expected to be finished in June 2011, costing approximately 11.6 billion yuan (US$1.45 billion).

Editor: Donald