A ceremony marking the start of construction of Xiyang-Yuci Highway Link project was held in Jinzhong city, in Shanxi province on Dec 25, according to local officials.

The Xiyang-Yuci Highway starts from Dabakou village in Xiyang county, runs via Xiyang, Heshun, Shouyang counties and Yuci district-- and finally connects with east second ring expressway in Taiyuan city, extending 126.8 kilometers.

With an estimated investment of 21.5 billion yuan ($3.07 billion), the highway is designed in accordance with the standards of a two-way four-lane expressway with a design speed of 100 km/ h and an overall roadbed width of 26 meters.

Due to complicated geological conditions along the highway in mountainous areas, bridges and tunnels account for a large proportion of the highway link project construction.

Officials said the Xiyang-Yuci Highway is of great significance to speed up the integrated development of Jinzhong and Taiyuan cities and promote transportation development in Jinzhong.

They said that once completed, the highway will become a vital logistics channel for the transportation of agricultural products from Taigu district in Jinzhong city to the west.

It will facilitate the rapid growth of the city's tourism and logistics, as well as shorten the distance between Jinzhong and the outside world. 

Currently, the mileage of highways through Jinzhong exceeds 624 km, with the highway network covering each local county and forming a two-hour traveling circle across the city.