The Hai'an-Qidong expressway was given the green light after being inspected -- and was delivered to Jiangsu Expressway Network Operation Management Co on Sept 26 -- making it ready to open to traffic, according to officials.

The clearance was given by the Jiangsu Development and Reform Commission, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Transport and the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Natural Resources.

The expressway links the six counties, districts and county-level cities of Nantong in eastern Jiangsu province.

Officials said it is a key transport project in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for Jiangsu and an important part of the province's expressway network.

The expressway is around 131 kilometers long and runs from Hai'an city -- passing through Rudong county, Tongzhou city and Haimen city, before finally arriving in Qidong.

It connects the Xuean transport hub, in the intersection of the Jianghai (S28) and Shenhai (G15) expressways in the west, to Chongqi Bridge in the east.

The Hai'an-Qidong expressway is the second expressway that passes through Rudong county.

The Rudong section is about 64 km long, setting up the Rudong South transport hub to connect the Xitong (S19) expressway, the Yuanzhuang and Juegang expressway service areas and the Bencha, Matang and Rudong toll booths.

The expressway has a total of eight lanes and a designed top speed of 120 km/h.

Officials said that construction of the expressway started in October, 2016.

They said that when it opens to traffic -- scheduled for Oct 1 -- it will provide a fast route to all the jurisdictions in Nantong. 

Ready for duty: An aerial view of the new Hai'an-Qidong expressway [Photo/rdxmt.com]

The Rudong tool booth on the Hai'an-Qidong expressway [Photo/rdxmt.com]