The city government has decided to enlarge the planned site of the World Expo 2010 from the original 5.4 square kilometers to some 6.68 square kilometers, mostly in Pudong, a city official announced yesterday.

"For various reasons, we have to adjust the size of the Expo area to meet the new situation, such as the huge number of visitors expected and quick urban development in the area," Huang Jianzhi, a deputy director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, said yesterday.

Huang made the comments during a three-day Planning and Design International Seminar for World Expo 2010 at the Shanghai Library. More than 150 experts from home and abroad are taking part in the seminar, which closes tomorrow. Huang explained that the adjustment was made because of the insufficient number of roads, inadequate leeway for optimizing the layout of pavilions and strong contrast between the Expo Park and surround areas.

He said that the city has also decided to retain a batch of "public utility venues" such as hospitals and water plants built for the event. According to the bureau, 70 million visitors are expected to visit Shanghai during the 183-day fair.

Also in the meeting, bureau officials acknowledged that they are still considering whether to extend the city's maglev line to the future World Expo park.

They said a "flower bridge," which was written in the city's bidding scheme, could be eliminated as it no longer looks feasible. Participants will take part in closed-door discussions today.

(Shanghai Daily April 17, 2004)