The mainline of Zhongshan's South Outer Ring extension road has opened to traffic, slashing travel times between the downtown area and western towns such as Shaxi, Dachong and Henglan from over 30 minutes to under 20.

The 11.339-kilometer project includes a 4-kilometer Henglan section that opened in December 2020. 

The latest 7.3-kilometer section features six dual-direction lanes built to Class-I highway standards, with an 80 km/h design speed (temporarily capped at 60 km/h during trial operations).

The extension road includes four ramps in total. The Gongye Avenue and Longsheng Road/Xidie Road ramps opened this time, with remaining ramp construction to be expedited for full route access before this year's Spring Festival.