A national expressway linking Beijing and Zhuhai, a coastal city of south China's Guangdong Province, began full operation with the 95-km Xinxiang-Zhengzhou section opening to traffic in central China's Henan Province Thursday.

With its construction launching in 1986, the 2,291-km-long expressway starts in Beijing and ends at Zhuhai, while traversing the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong. It is the first national expressway artery to open in the country.

Linking north, central and south China regions, the road is expected to play a vital role in easing traffic tension, promoting economic exchanges and cooperation and stimulating the economy, experts with the project have said.

Construction of the six-lane Xinxiang-Zhengzhou section of the expressway began in Jan. 2004, and is completed at a cost of 4.577 billion yuan (5.53 billion US dollars). A total of 25 big and medium-sized bridges and 28 overpasses were built on this section of the expressway.

The most eye-catching among these bridges and overpasses is the No. 2 Yellow River Bridge in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, 9,848.16 meters long and 42 meters wide. It is currently the largest bridge spanning the Yellow River, the second longest river of China.