The Zhongxiang section of the Zaoyang Shishou Expressway is expected to start construction within the year

The long-awaited Zhongxiang section of the Zao (Yang) Shi (Shou) Expressway is expected to start construction within this year. At that time, there will be three highways passing through Zhongxiang. Convenient transportation makes Zhongxiang more open, and its tourism, industry, and modern agriculture development will have greater potential.

The Zaoyang Shishou Expressway is one of the north-south highways in our province's "Nine Verticals, Five Horizontals, and Three Rings" expressway network, with a total length of 343 kilometers. It starts from Zaoyang, passes through Yicheng (Aole), Zhongxiang, Shayang, Qianjiang, and Jiangling, and ends at Shishou City. It is another longitudinal expressway passage between the Second Guangzhou Expressway and the Suiyue Expressway, and is also a north-south main passage connecting Henan to the north and the Jianghan Plain and Dongting Lake Plain to the south.

Currently, there are two highways in Zhongxiang City. In June 2004, the Xiangjing Expressway, a transit highway in the city, was completed and opened to traffic. It has a length of 39.8 kilometers within the territory of Zhongxiang City, passing through three towns of Huji, Phosphate Mine, and Shuanghe, with two interchanges. The nearest exit is 26 kilometers away from the urban area of Yingzhong; In May 2010, the second transit expressway, Wujing Expressway, was completed and opened to traffic. It is 42.9 kilometers long in Zhongxiang City, passing through five towns (yards), namely Changtan, Jiukou, Arhat Temple, Chaihu and Shipai, with two interchanges. The nearest exit is 17 kilometers away from Yingzhong urban area.

Zaoshi Expressway is the third transit expressway within Zhongxiang City. According to the design, this expressway enters from Sunjiawan, Wuxing Village, Changshou Town in the north, passes through Yangzi, Jiuli, Changtan, Arhat Temple, Jiukou Town (Luoji) in the south, and leaves the country through Chaihu Town in the south. It passes through 7 towns (townships and markets), with a total length of 75 kilometers and a total investment of about 5.2 billion yuan (excluding the investment in the bridge across the Han River). Zaoshi Expressway is planned to be constructed according to the standard of a two-way four lane expressway, with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour, a roadbed width of 26 meters, and a bridge and culvert design load of Highway-i level.

There are five interchanges in the area, including Changshou Interchange, Yangzi Interchange, Zhongxiangdong Interchange (between Jiuli and Shuangqiao), Zhongxiang Hub Interchange (connecting with Wujing Expressway), and Jiukou Interchange (where Luoji is located), and two service areas are set up in Yangzi Town and the urban area.

The feasibility study report of the project has been reviewed by experts. The construction funds come from enterprise investment and domestic bank loans, with a project contribution ratio of 25% capital and 75% bank loans. The project is invested and constructed by Hubei Provincial Transportation Investment Co., Ltd., and Zhongxiang City is responsible for coordinating relevant work within the country.

Zaoshi Expressway and Wujing Expressway form a north-south and east-west cross structure within Zhongxiang City, and Zaoshi Expressway has 5 interchanges in Zhongxiang City, which is conducive to getting on and off the highway. What's more advantageous is that Zhongxiang East Interchange is only 5 kilometers away from Yingzhong City, making it the closest expressway to enter and exit the city, and also the longest expressway on the Zhongxiang map. According to the relevant person in charge, the construction of the section from Qianjiang to Shishou started in August 2013, and the construction of the section from Zaoyang to Qianjiang is not far away, with an expected construction period of three years. After its opening, the total length of expressways in Zhongxiang City will reach 157.7 kilometers.