A truck runs on the Lhasa-Shigatse Highway in Qushui county in Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, on Thursday. PHEN THOK/FOR CHINA DAILY

A 167-kilometer section of a highway project linking Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region, and Shigatse Airport in Shigatse officially opened to traffic on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in improving regional transportation infrastructure.

It has cut travel time between the two cities from over five hours to three hours, offering a more efficient route for commuters, according to the region's traffic and transportation department.

The Lhasa-Shigatse Highway is part of the G4218 Ya'an-Yecheng National Expressway, which starts at Ya'an, in Sichuan province, and ends in Yecheng county in Kashgar prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

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

According to the department, the newly opened highway is a vital component of the region's transportation network. It is a four-lane road with a designed top speed of 100 km per hour. Construction of the highway was not without challenges, as it traverses high-altitude, cold and seismic regions, with workers facing narrow river valleys, complex geological conditions and adverse weather.

"The opening of the highway helps Shigatse to integrate into the 'Three-Hour Economic Circle' of Xizang, which includes the cities of Lhasa, Shigatse, Nagchu, Lhokha and Nyingchi," said Yu Bin, deputy mayor of Shigatse.

"This development is of great importance for accelerating industrial growth in Shigatse, benefiting local residents, and promoting development of border areas."

Nyima Tsering, a village leader in Tsarak village in the region's Chushul county, hailed the highway's completion as a transformative development for the community.

He said its construction not only provided stable job opportunities for villagers, but also brought in over 40 million yuan ($5.5 million) in income for the whole village through machinery rentals and other means, significantly improving villagers' quality of life.

"This makes our travel more convenient," Nyima Tsering said. "We have witnessed an era of change — from the past isolation in transportation to the current interconnectedness. Our hometown is undergoing a profound transformation.

"In the past, our township faced limitations in the development of agriculture, animal husbandry and tourism due to its remote location and poor transportation. This highway is not just a convenient transportation route for us, it is also a broad avenue leading us toward rural revitalization.

"The operation of this road will also make it more convenient for us to access medical care, education and employment, and our agricultural and livestock products can also be more easily transported to the broader market, and it will help us increase incomes."