Construction of the 3.9 billion-yuan (478.5 million U.S. dollars) expressway linking Korla city and Kuqa county is scheduled to begin in August next year and due to open to traffic in August 2010, according to local communication authorities on Monday.

The expressway project is part of a comprehensive action plan to boost Central Asia regional economic cooperation, covered by ADB investment between 2006 and 2008.

Early this year, ADB had promised to offer 600,000 U.S. dollars to boost preparation work for the Korla-Kuqa expressway, a section of the No. 314 national highway. The 1,880-km No. 314 national highway starts from Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, and ends at the Kunjirap Pass on the China-Pakistan border, traversing the Tianshan Mountains.

According to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Communications Bureau, the Korla-Kuqa expressway is also part of the Central Asia regional highway network.

The Korla-Kuqa expressway is expected to play an important role in promoting trade and economic exchanges between China and Central and Western Asian countries as well as between China and European countries. The expressway is also due to play a key role in boosting economic development in Xinjiang, according to the local communications bureau.