According to a source from the Jingzhou Development and Reform Commission (JDRC) yesterday, to deploy main cross-river channels of the Yangtze River and perfect the integrated transportation network in a scientific way, upon approval by the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the Layout Plan of Main Channels of the Yangtze River (2020-2035) in March 2020. According to the Plan, China will focus on advancing the construction of 79 cross-river channels before 2025, including 4 in Jingzhou. After the completion of the 4 channels, there will be a total of 10 cross-river channels in Jingzhou, which will greatly improve Jingzhou's role as an integrated traffic hub and extend the spatial layout of urban development.
Main cross-river channels of the Yangtze River that span the Yangtze River are important south-north links in China, as well as important facilities supporting the new urbanization of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. As required by the development of the integrated transport system of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Plan deploys main cross-rover channels of the Yangtze River to improve the overall operation efficiency of integrated transportation network.
According to the Plan, to meet the need of economic and social development in areas along the Yangtze River and the need of south-north transportation before 2025, on the basis of conducting early surveys and connecting the plan to relevant plans, Jingzhou has recently promoted the construction of 79 cross-river channels. 4 of these channels are in Jingzhou, including Libu Yangtze River Highway-Railway Bridge, Guanyinsi Yangtze River Bridge, Zhijiang Bailizhou Yangtze River Bridge and Jianli-Huarong Highway-Railway Bridge on the boundaries of Hubei and Hunan.
According to a head of JDRC, among the 4 new cross-river channels, Zhijiang Bailizhou Yangtze River Bridge will connect Zhijiang, Songzi and Shimen; Libu Yangtze River Highway-Railway Bridge is a rerouting project of State Highway 207 and Erenhot-Guangzhou Highway, as well as a southward channel for Jingzhou's railways; Guanyinsi Yangtze River Bridge is the west extension of Wuhan-Songzi Highway, as well as a cross-river channel in the Jiangling-Songzi section; Jianli-Huarong Highway-Railway Bridge is the cross-river channel linking Wuhan-Songzi Highway and Hangzhou-Ruili Highway, as well as another southward channel for Jingzhou's railways.
There are 5 completed cross-river channels and 1 under construction in Jingzhou. After the completion of the 4 channels, there will be a total of 10 cross-river channels in Jingzhou.
Cross-river channels are key links for the communication and integrated development of southern and northern Jingzhou. The inclusion of the four new cross-river channels into the national plan means that Jingzhou has pressed the "button" to accelerate cross-river channel construction. The construction of the channels is of far-reaching significance to urban deployment and economic development.
After the completion of the cross-river channels, there will be 4 cross-river channels in downtown Jingzhou, the spatial layout of urban development will change from a "strip" into a "ring", the city skeleton and carrying space will be expanded, downtown Jingzhou and the counties, cities and district around will develop in an integrated way across the river, the role of cross-river channels in driving industrial development will be enhanced, and the integrated development of urban and rural areas will be speed up. The expansion of the scale of cross-river channels will further enhance the role of Jingzhou as an integrated traffic hub. With the increase in the traffic mileage of highways, the perfection of railway network, the opening of the Jingzhou Airport to navigation and the expansion of the scale of cross-river channels, Jingzhou will transform its location advantage into traffic advantage, and accelerate interconnections with provinces and cities around, to better and faster integrate itself into national economic development.