Expressway facilitates travel in Tian'e

The Leye-Baise Expressway, the first one passing through Tian'e county in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, opened to traffic on Jan 8.

As an important part of the G69 Yinchuan-Baise Expressway, it starts from Xialao township in Tian'e, travels through Leye and Lingyuan counties in Baise, a city in Guangxi, and ends in Youjiang district of Baise.

The route spans 170.6 kilometers in length, of which 15.26 km is within Tian'e. It boasts a total investment of 19.08 billion yuan ($2.75 billion).

After the opening of the expressway, the journey between Xialao township and Baise has been reduced from three and a half hours to one and a half hours, while that from Xialao to Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou province, has been shortened from three and a half hours to two hours, making it more convenient for Tian'e residents to travel.

In addition, the route is also of great significance to accelerate poverty alleviation efforts, bolster the economic and social development in the old revolutionary areas and regions inhabited by ethnic groups in Hechi and Baise, as well as promote tourism in the western part of Guangxi.

"We are all very happy with the opening of this expressway," said Wang Yongyi, Party secretary of Xialao village at Xialao township. "It brings much convenience for our travelling and transport of agricultural products."