THE new expressway linking directly to the container handling area of the eastern China port of Taicang, 100 kilometres upstream from Shanghai, has officially opened for use as relief to congestion.

The expressway, which is the first in Suzhou that is specially built for port cargo distribution, is 15 kilometres. It has raised Suzhou city's expressway mileage to 550 kilometres with a density of 6.49 kilometres per square kilometre of land, which is equivalent to the level in a medium developed country, according to Xinhua's report.

The expressway can reduce transport time of shipments in and out of the port of Taicang by 15 minutes compared to previous available routes. It has four lanes in both direction with a designed speed of 100 kilometres per hour, entailing a total investment of CNY1.7 billion (US$278 million).

Experts from the industry said the expressway will help shippers and forwarders improve their transport efficiency and lower cost. To the port of Taicang, the expressway is a further enhancement to its transport infrastructures and its competitive edges.

Taicang, to the north of Shanghai, is the largest port for foreign trade in Jiangsu province and an important gateway for ocean shipping in Suzhou. Its throughput has been in rapid growth in the past two years.

In 2012, Taicang's container throughput hit 4.01 million TEU while cargo tonnage reached 123 million tonnes. Rising throughput has resulted in higher pressure on traffic flow in and out of the port and has caused frequent congestion.