Yunnan hopes to invest 43 billion yuan ($7.23 billion) in expressway construction, said the Yunnan Provincial Department of Transportation. Four expressways will be completed and opened to the public within the year, including the Dali-Lijiang Expressway.

The Dali-Lijiang Expressway will span 259 kilometers. It was started in December 2009. Roughly 95 percent of subgrade construction has been completed to date. The Dali-Lijiang Expressway is the longest expressway project with the largest investment in Yunnan province.

The Dali-Lijiang Expressway is composed of a main line of 204 kilometers and two branch lines of 68.1 kilometers. It will make it convenient for people to travel between Dali and Lijiang and will be the main road channel to Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet.

When the Dali-Lijiang Expressway is completed, the travel time between Dali and Lijiang will be shortened to about two hours.