国内英语新闻:China's rural road length hits 3.3 million kilometers; most villages, towns connected: offic

BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The total length of China's rural roads had reached 3.3 million kilometers by the end of 2009, connecting 99.4 percent of towns and villages, a transportation official said here Sunday.

Some 381,000 kilometers of roads were built in China in the past year, far exceeding the annual target of 300,000 kilometers, China's Vice Minister for Transport, Feng Zhenglin, said at a conference.

By the end of 2009, residents at 35,000 towns and 553,000 villages in China's rural areas were able to take buses to travel, representing 98 percent and 87.8 percent of China's towns and villages, respectively, according to Feng.

Li Shenglin, Minister of Transport, vowed at the conference to boost rural passenger transportation.

Feng also vowed to improve the highway network that connects towns and villages this year and in the country's 12th Five Year Plan which starts in 2011.