The Jinan-Weifang Expressway, China's first zero-carbon highway, is ready for traffic. [Photo/Dazhong News]

Shandong Hi-Speed Group announced on Aug 29 that the Jinan-Weifang Expressway has passed inspection and is ready to be open to traffic.

The expressway, which connects Shandong's capital city Jinan and Weifang, also in Shandong province, is the first zero-carbon expressway in the country and the first smart expressway in the province.

Spanning 161.9 kilometers, the expressway has a designed speed of 120 kilometers per hour, two-way six lanes, and cost 42.14 billion yuan ($5.78 billion) to build.

Once put into operation, the expressway will help promote the rapid development of the regional economy, improve connectivity between the provincial capital economic circle and the Jiaodong economic circle, and improve the layout of the Shandong expressway network.