The White Tiger Mountain scenic area in Hetaoyuan town, Juye county of Shandong province was crowded with visitors during the May Day holiday.

The Juye-Shanxian Expressway [Photo/dzwww.com]

"To prepare for the peak passenger flow during this holiday, we have widened the road around the scenic area and added 500 parking spots. Looking at our present situation, we still need to boost our tourism facilities in the future," said Zhao Yongmeng, director of the scenic area's management committee.

According to Zhao, tourists were mainly coming from surrounding counties like Shanxian and Chengwu.

"To a large extent, the opening of the Juye-Shanxian section of the Dezhou-Shangrao Expressway has fueled the tourism market in Juye county," said Zhu Yanfang, director of the Juye culture and tourism bureau.

According to Zhu, Juye, Shanxian, and Chengwu counties in Shandong have rich historical and cultural resources, as well as numerous scenic spots, but poor transportation infrastructure had hindered the region's tourism development.

At the end of 2019, the Juye-Shanxian Expressway was opened to traffic, ending the history of no expressways in Chengwu and Shanxian counties. The driving time from Shanxian to Juye was shortened from 2.5 hours to one hour, while the driving time from Anhui province to Heze was reduced from 2.5 hours to 1.5 hours.

The new expressway has greatly improved the transportation conditions of residents along the line, boosted development of local tourism markets, as well as facilitated the rise of the logistics industry, as featured products from surrounding counties now can reach a broader consumer market.

"For our textile and garment industry, the expressway has been a lifeline. We will no longer lose non-local customers due to inconvenient transportation thanks to the new expressway," said Xi Jianhua, president of a garment company in Juye county.

"It will also help us save about 1 million yuan ($155,500) in logistics costs a year."

According to a Shandong official, the expressway has connected the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Anhui, and Jiangxi, which will effectively improve the traffic and transportation conditions in southwest Shandong, as well as the provincial boundary areas.