Remote no longer, roads link county to country

With an investment of more than 2 billion yuan, work on the second county-level road project between Metog and Pai township in Manling county began in 2014. It should be completed by September.

Tibet has invested heavily in rural road projects, spending 94 billion yuan on their construction during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, according to the region's Traffic and Transportation Department. "This investment paid for more than 3,000 road projects, and more than 38,000 km of rural roads were renovated or built during the period," said Feng Zhenzhong, an official with the department.

Thanks to heavy investment, the rural road network extended more than 90,000 km by the end of last year, he added. Between 2016 and 2020, Tibet's 280 townships and 2,974 villages were linked by paved roads. Now, 94 percent of its townships and 77 percent of its villages are connected by roads.

As passenger bus services in rural areas have increased, the region now has 317 rural passenger lines. With 369 shuttle buses operating in rural areas, 74 counties are now linked by services.

"During the next few years, we will continue to build better roads, operate more passenger lines, and provide faster and more convenient logistic services in rural areas," Feng said.

"We will strive to ensure all the region's townships and more than 90 percent of its villages have access to paved roads by 2025."