World's highest expressway opens to traffic

LHASA -- The world's highest expressway, running between the city of Nagchu and Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, went into operation on Saturday, with the opening of the final 227-km section between Nagchu and Yangbajain, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The Nagchu-Lhasa expressway, running 295 km with an average altitude of over 4,500 meters, is part of the expressway linking Beijing and Lhasa, and is the first highway connecting Lhasa and the grasslands of northern Tibet.

Its operation will shorten the drive between Lhasa and the city of Nagchu to three hours from more than six.

It will significantly enlarge the transport capacity and improve the level of security of the corridor connecting Tibet with Northwest China's Qinghai province, said an official with the ministry.

The Yangbajain-Lhasa section of the expressway opened to traffic in October 2020.