Hangzhou-Chunan-Kaihua Expressway recently broke ground for a section in Hangzhou. As a vital part of China’s G25 national expressway, this route serves as the second car way linking downtown Hangzhou to Qiandao Lake. After crossing Hangzhou, it extends through Quzhou’s Kaihua County all the way to the Zhejiang-Jiangxi border, with construction divided into Hangzhou and Quzhou segments.

Starting at the intersection of Hangzhou’s Ring Road (under construction) and Jinqiao North Road in Fuyang District, the 184.4-kilometer mainline traverses Fuyang, Tonglu, and Chun’an before terminating at the border between Chun’an’s Fenkou Town and Kaihua’s Daxi Township. The route features six lanes in both directions from the starting point to Zuokou Junction, and narrowed to four lanes from Songcun Junction to the endpoint. Designed for 100 km/h speeds, the project expects a 48-month construction period.

Upon completion, towns like Xindeng (Fuyang), Fenshui (Tonglu), and Fenkou (Chun’an) will gain expressway access that brings mobility perks to local residents. It will divert traffic to Qiandao Lake and Jiangxi from the overcrowded Hangzhou-Xin’anjiang-Jingdezhen Expressway, potentially easing its notorious holiday congestion.

The expressway will be a significant boost for regional connectivity, which helps enhance road capacity/service quality and deepen Zhejiang-Jiangxi’s collaborations. It’ll spur a leap in mountainous areas and drive Zhejiang’s initiatives on a balanced growth of urban and rural areas. It’ll also be a facilitator for a new growth pattern featuring counties and the townships and major villages under their jurisdiction, and  help pool the resources along the route to shape an economic lifeline for regional growth.