A highway linking Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region, and the region's Shigatse city was officially opened to traffic on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the region's transportation infrastructure.

With a length of 245 kilometers, the Lhasa-Shigatse Highway is a part of the G4218 Ya'an–Yecheng National Expressway, which starts at Ya'an city of Sichuan province, and ends at the Yecheng county of Kashgar prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, spanning three provincial-level administrative regions.

A highway linking Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region, and the region's Shigatse city was officially opened to traffic on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the region's transportation infrastructure. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

This newly completed highway has drastically cut down the travel time between the two cities of Xizang, reducing it from over five hours previously to approximately three hours, according to the autonomous region's traffic and transportation department.

With this latest addition, the total length of highways in Xizang has now reached 1,196 kilometers, further enhancing connectivity and accessibility in the region.

A highway linking Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region, and the region's Shigatse city was officially opened to traffic on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the region's transportation infrastructure. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

According to the department, the newly opened highway is a vital component of the region's transportation network, featuring a high-speed highway with two lanes in each direction and a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

The highway project started construction in March 2019, with the line crossing the Yarlung Tsangpo River, running parallel to the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway and National Highway G318. Currently, high-grade highways connect the regional capital Lhasa with the region's cities of Nyingchi, Lhokha, Nagchu and Shigatse.