City plans 2 new elevated highways

Shanghai will start construction on one tunnel and two elevated roads this year to gradually improve traffic flow around the city.

Zhoujiazui Road Tunnel will be built under the Huangpu River and help ease traffic between Yangpu and Hongkou districts and the Pudong New Area. The 4.45-kilometer passage will have two decks with two lanes on each deck, said the builder, Shanghai Huangpu River Cross River Facility Invest and Construction Development Company.

The nearby Xiangyin Road Tunnel is "very crowded during rush hours," the company said.

An elevated road will be built in Minhang District to link current elevated roads to the Middle Ring Road and then to Pudong, which will reduce driving times between those areas, planners said.

Construction will also begin this year on Hongmei Road Expressway to improve traffic between suburban Fengxian District and downtown. It is expected to open by the end of 2015, according to the company.

The 10.9-kilometer thoroughfare will cut the driving time from the district to the downtown area from one hour to about 35 minutes, traffic officials said.

City traffic authorities, however, still warned that "drivers and commuters will face more road congestion and crowded subway carriages this year" despite infrastructure upgrades.