On June 21, a symposium on investment promotion for expressway projects in Sichuan Province was held in Chengdu. It was learned at the symposium that Sichuan is promoting a total of 36 expressway projects this time, including the S6 Chengdu-Emeishan Expressway, the G0611 Chuanzhusi-Wenchuan section expressway, and the S71 Jinkouhe-Xichang Expressway. The projects have a total length of about 4,100 kilometers and a total investment of about 840 billion yuan.

Expressways occupy an important position in Sichuan's comprehensive transportation system. In Sichuan's comprehensive transportation, highway transport accounts for 92% of total freight volume and 74% of total passenger volume; in particular, expressways account for 2% of the mileage of Sichuan's comprehensive transportation network but carry nearly 40% of freight volume and 34% of passenger volume, serving as the main framework of the road network that supports economic and social development and serves public travel.

At present, there are still many "blank" areas in Sichuan's transportation, which remains in a stage of accelerated construction to improve the road network and shore up shortcomings. It is understood that Sichuan has currently completed 9,803 kilometers and has 3,392 kilometers under construction, with more than 7,000 kilometers still to be built; the scale of projects to be built ranks first in the country, accounting for about one-tenth of the national total. According to the plan under the 14th Five-Year Plan to newly start construction of 2,500 kilometers of expressway projects, only 1,441 kilometers have been newly started so far, and 1,060 kilometers still need to be started this year and next.

The symposium focused on promoting 36 expressway projects (with a total length of about 4,100 kilometers and a total investment of about 840 billion yuan), spanning 20 cities (prefectures) in Sichuan Province. Among them:

6 projects are corridors of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle (608 kilometers, 119.5 billion yuan); 11 projects are in the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone (1,197 kilometers, 244.6 billion yuan)

● 4 projects in the South Sichuan Economic Zone (505 kilometers, 85.4 billion yuan)

● 4 projects in the Northeast Sichuan Economic Zone (348 kilometers, 62.7 billion yuan)

● 2 projects in the Panxi Economic Zone (288 kilometers, 67.9 billion yuan)

● 9 projects in the Northwest Sichuan Ecological Demonstration Zone (1,172 kilometers, 257.1 billion yuan)

"This investment promotion symposium extends invitations to investor representatives from within and outside the province and within and outside the industry who have strong capabilities and financing capacity, to actively participate in expressway construction in Sichuan Province and share opportunities and seek common development," said a relevant person in charge of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Transport. The province will strive to successfully attract investment for more than 500 kilometers of projects throughout the year, laying a solid foundation for promoting the early start of construction of the projects and supporting long-term high-level transportation investment. Up to now, Sichuan Province has successfully attracted investment for 87 expressway projects with a total length of 8,455 kilometers, introduced about 1.2 trillion yuan of social investment, and brought in 63 state-owned and private enterprises, with the scale of investment promotion ranking first in the country.