Coastal highway in Nantong opens to traffic

The Nantong section of a high-grade coastal highway in Jiangsu opened on June 17 after the north Qidong section in Nantong city passed the quality acceptance test.

It further improves the transportation system of Jiangsu’s coastal area, linking eight industrial park districts and three deep-water ports in Nantong, and benefiting 35 percent of Nantong’s population and 43 percent of its area. Moreover, it will provide a fast channel from Nantong to Shanghai, shortening the journey to one hour by car.

The Nantong section stretches from Hai’an county, south through Rudong district, Nantong Coastal Park, Haimen city, Qidong district to the hub connecting a high-grade highway along the Yangtze River. Its total length is 166 km, with an investment of 6 billion yuan ($9.63 billion) and was constructed as a first-class highway.

Its official opening highlights Nantong’s regional advantage, and promotes Nantong’s integration into the Shanghai economic zone, which will further benefit Nantong’s industrial cluster, resource development and urbanization.

The coastal highway is a pillar project of the coastal development of Jiangsu. It runs 530 kilometers in total and through three major cities in Jiangsu, including Nantong, with a total investment of 18.2 billion yuan ($29.2 billion).

In addition, it’s built as a high-tech highway, integrating information collection and distribution with electronic toll collection monitoring technologies.