Makeover taking its toll on city slickers

The ubiquitous construction cranes, cacophony of pneumatic drills hammering into the early hours and hordes of security guards sweating to get Shanghai expo-fit are starting to take their toll on the city's residents.

"The city looks like a gigantic construction site," moaned 28-year-old white-collar worker Wang Hao. "It's hard to get to anywhere because the traffic congestion is terrible."

With the expo scheduled to open in May, the metropolis is in the midst of a major makeover in its bid to provide a warm welcome to the 70 million visitors who are expected to flood in.