An expressway linking the cities of Hoxud and Korla has been built after three years of construction in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the regional government said Thursday.

The 93-km-long expressway, first built in the region's Muslim-majority south, is expected to inject energy for economic development in the area.

The regional traffic committee said the expressway, which cost more than 2.4 billion yuan (about US$300 million) has been checked, appraised and approved after a 50-day trial operation.

A key traffic project in China's ambitious plan to tap its resources in its underdeveloped western area, the expressway is also a major component of the No. 314 National Highway, which runs north to south across the vast autonomous region.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2005)