Upgraded street ramps up progress in rural Shandong

An upgraded freeway opened in 2021 has also benefited residents.

Pang, from the infrastructure assurance center, said there are now eight entry points to the freeway.

"From any town in the county, it takes only 10 minutes to drive to the freeway. Before 2021, we only had two entry points. It was common to see vehicles lining up to enter or leave Yucheng," Pang said.

Liu Xingwang, a truck driver who usually travels between the provincial capital Jinan and Yucheng, said traffic flow has improved greatly. One of the entries to the freeway network that opened in 2021 has greatly saved travel time, he added.

Liu Zhuxiang, head of Qiyao village in Yucheng, said the improved transportation network has benefited residents.

"Transportation was less convenient. Farmers usually carried pears to the market to sell," he said, adding that with improved and wider roads, customers can drive trucks to farm gates to buy fresh fruit.

The incomes of local people have also increased, he said.

In the past decade, China has promoted the building and renovation of rural roads. According to the Ministry of Transport, China has more than 4.5 million km of rural roads. In 2011, the length was 3.56 million km. In the past decade, the roads in 105,000 villages and more than 1,000 towns have been surfaced.

Last year, China built and upgraded more than 180,000 km of rural roads.