The Mengyuan–Guanlei Port Expressway, constructed by Yunnan Communications Investment & Construction Group Co., Ltd., has officially opened to traffic.
This marks the direct connection between the national-level inland waterway port at Guanlei and China’s expressway network, providing Yunnan with its only expressway access to an international port.
Located in Mengla County of the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, the expressway starts at the Mengyuan Interchange on the G8511 Kunming–Mohan Expressway and extends to Guanlei Port, a key water transportation hub on the Lancang–Mekong international waterway corridor.
The project valued at around 4.69 billion yuan, spans 29.81 kilometers with a toll distance of 25.164 kilometers. Comprising nearly half of its length, bridges and tunnels form 48.69 percent of the expressway, significantly slashing travel time from 80 to 20 minutes between the starting point and Guanlei Port. This enhancement vastly bolsters regional transport efficiency and logistics capacity. (....)