HAIKOU, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Construction started Thursday on a scenic coastal highway in south China's Hainan Province, said the provincial transport department.
File photo: agencies
The main line of the highway will be 988.2 km long. With an investment of about 14.39 billion yuan (about 2.2 billion U.S. dollars), it will accelerate the building of Hainan into an international tourism and consumption center.
The highway will stretch through 12 coastal cities and counties and the Yangpu Economic Development Zone, connecting bays, capes, tourist attractions and coastal resort areas throughout Hainan.
China released a master plan on June 1 to build Hainan into a high-level free trade port. The scenic highway project is part of the infrastructure construction for the free trade port initiative, which is expected to further tap the province's tourist resources.
