The newly constructed two key traffic projects opened to traffic in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, on Friday.
  
One project added two new bridges over the Lhasa River and the Yarlung Zangbo River, as well as a tunnel stretching for about 2.45 kilometers in Lhasa, helping reduce the traffic distance between Lhasa's center and its airport by 30 kilometers.
  
With an investment of 650 million yuan (US$80.25 million), the project broke ground on April 26 in 2003. It is the most expensive traffic project in terms of cost per kilometer due to its high technical input on tunnel and bridge construction.
  
By now, 13 bridges have been laid down over the Yarlung Zangbo River, making it possible for Tibetans living on two sides to travel more conveniently. Tibetans living along the Yarlung Zangbo make up about 70 percent of Tibet's total farming and herding population.
  
Another project, the Jinzhu Xi Road renovation, also opened to traffic on the same day.
  
With 230 million yuan (US$27.71 million) of investment, the project started on Dec. 1 in 2004 and stretched for eight kilometers. It expanded the Jinzhu Xi Road to 44 meters wide with six lanes.
  
Lhasa covered a total urban area of about three square kilometers when it was liberated in 1951. Now the urban area is about 54 square kilometers. The road increased from one kilometer half a century ago to 241 kilometers nowadays. One out of every 13 Lhasa citizens owns a private automobile.
  
The city registered about 270,000 permanent residents, about 10 times the figure half a century ago.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2005)