Hainan's scenic highway to open in Dec

A scenic highway circling the island province of Hainan is set to open to traffic in December.

The base section of main line of the highway was completed on June 30, while bridge construction and landscaping work are still underway.

It is a key infrastructure project for the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, and it is significant to the formation of a global tourism consumption center in Hainan.

The main route of the highway is 988.2 kilometers long, with a total investment of about 16.35 billion yuan ($2.28 billion). As of June 30, the project completed an investment of 11.23 billion yuan.

Some parts of the highway will not be available to cars or other electric vehicles. Instead, a 46-km cycling path and a 21-km walking path have been built.

To boost tourism, the scenic highway around the tropical island will link existing roads in 12 coastal cities and counties, such as Haikou, Qionghai, Wanning, and Sanya, and pass through cliffs, wetlands, windmills, coconut groves, estuaries, countryside, and other characteristic landscapes.

When traveling on the highway, drivers will have access to 22 coastal headlands, 25 lighthouses, 68 bays, 26 coastal lagoons, 16 mangrove forests, 40 tourist stations, as well as 261 coastal scenic spots and historical sites.

The Sanya section of the scenic highway circling Hainan Island. [Photo/Sanya Daily]