Yantai plans to start and resume the construction of 35 key transportation infrastructure projects this year. [Photo by Tang Ke/Shm News]

A modern transportation system combining land, water and air transit is taking shape in Yantai.

Yantai aims to establish a three-hour high-speed rail circle and a two-hour flight circle in hopes of stimulating economic activity.

According to the local government, the city is planning to start and continue the construction of 35 key transportation infrastructure projects this year, which will have an expected fixed asset investment of about 29.1 billion yuan ($4.23 billion). A total of 72 projects were included in Shandong's transportation network development plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), which accounted for 14.9 percent of the province's total amount.

A total of six projects will be launched this year, and a "one horizontal and two vertical high-speed railway network" is expected to be built in Yantai after the projects are put into operation.

Construction of the Weifang-Yantai and Laixi-Haiyang-Rongcheng high-speed railways is now underway, and the latter is scheduled to open to the public by the end of the year. A complete high-speed railway network is expected to take shape after the two railways are put into use, which will also promote the integration of the Jiaodong Economic Circle.

Yantai has also made achievements in the development of its highways. A number of highways at the national, provincial and municipal levels are under construction, and the expansion work on the Yantai section of the Rongcheng-Wuhai Highway is on the fast track.

According to its development plan, the city will renovate and upgrade 2,135 kilometers of rural expressways. Among them, 340 km are tourist expressways, with a total investment of 3.38 billion yuan.

As a coastal city, Yantai has made great efforts to promote the development of its port construction, and the city now has five port areas and 126 berths.

According to official statistics, the total length of highways in the city totaled 19,800 km, the total length of expressways open to traffic spanned 670 km, and the total length of rural highways stood at 17,300 km at the end of 2021. The city's railway operating mileage totaled about 600 km at the end of last year, and that of high-speed railways was 178 km.

Currently, Yanhai has two airports, which are Yantai Penglai International Airport, an international airport, and the Penglai Shahekou Airport, a domestic airport.

Yantai Penglai International Airport opened its first direct flight to Tokyo on Jan 2, 2020, which became the city's fifth flight to Japan after the previously established routes to Osaka, Nagoya, Shizuoka, and Fukuoka.

In recent years, the Penglai International Airport has been increasing the number of international flights to promote overseas exchanges. The passenger throughput of the airport exceeded 10 million for the first time in 2019, joining the ranks of larger airports.

The city expects more than 23 million airport passengers in 2030 and started construction of the international airport's second phase last year.

The first subway line will open in Yantai by the end of 2025, and is expected to help ease urban traffic congestion.