Lhasa overpass opens on eve of tourist boom

Panorama of the Liuwu Bridge
Part of the Liuwu Bridge

A major bridge, more than a kilometer-and-half long, opened to traffic here on Monday, just in time for May Day holiday week when Lhasa expects an influx of tourists.

With an investment of 450 million yuan (about 58 million U.S. dollars), the urban overpass is comprised of a northern and southern bridge.

The Liuwu Bridge is 1,660 meters long and 29 meters wide. It spans the Lhasa River and links this plateau city with the Lhasa railway station, terminus of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
The opening of the bridge has cut travel time from downtown Lhasa to its railway station from half-an-hour to 10 minutes.

Tourism officials say they are expecting 200,000 visitors during the May Day Golden Week.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway began operating last July, and there are plans to extend it to Xigaze, the second largest city in Tibet, 277 kilometers southwest of Lhasa.
The region will also start building its fourth airport in Ngari. There are now airports in Lhasa, Qamdo, and Nyingch.

Statistics from the regional tourism bureau show Tibet received 110,000 visitors in the first quarter this year, up 15.8 percent year-on-year. It expects to receive more than 3 million tourists this year.