TOLLWAYS, SOLAR-POWERED ROADS BOOST TRANSPORTATION

High-tech materials, new funding streams are paying dividends

"I still remember the hardship my peers and I experienced when building the Shanghai-Jiading Expressway," said Zhou Liang, chief engineer with the Shanghai Urban Construction Design and Research Institute.

The 20.4-kilometer-long expressway - known as the Hujia Highway for short - was built in 1984. It was the first national highway project built in the Chinese mainland, and connected Shanghai's Jiading district with the city's downtown.