Shandong province's 54 key transportation construction projects had all been resumed by Feb 24, local authorities said during a government news conference held on March 4.

Wang Qifeng, deputy director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Transportation, said that this year has seen a record number of key transportation projects, and that the projects are also of unprecedented size and cost, receiving a total of 184.2 billion yuan ($26.57 billion) in investment.

A construction worker works on a freight rail project being carried out by China Railway No 10 Engineering Group Co in Zouping, Shandong province on Feb 26. [Photo by Dong Naide/dzwww.com]

Expressways and high-speed railways are still taking top priority in the construction of transport networks, Wang said.

This year, the province plans to start construction on five new expressway projects, accelerate construction on 23 expressways already under construction, and ensure the completion of 14 expressways.

The total length of expressways in the province will reach 7,400 kilometers by the end of the year, according to officials.

Construction has resumed on the Weifang-Laixi high-speed railway in Shandong. [Photo/iqilu.com]

Shandong also plans to start construction on five high-speed rail projects, accelerate preliminary work on four high-speed rail projects, and complete the Weifang-Laixi high-speed railway this year.

Wang said that construction sites have adopted thorough and rigorous prevention and control measures to ensure the health and safety of construction workers, and relevant government departments have launched measures to help projects proceed smoothly.

Wang said there are currently more than 68,000 management and construction personnel on the project sites, and this number is increasing.

Strict measures have been taken to ensure the health and safety of construction workers in Shandong. [Photo/sdchina.com]