Wenchuan infrastructure long road to recover

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When we first went to Wenchuan, we had to take a two-day detour to get there. Now, it's only 3 to 4 hours. Still, traffic jams are a problem, so the local authority has initiated an even-odd license plate arrangement for vehicles going in and out of the county. But Wenchuan is no longer isolated.

Transport official Luo Yuhong estimates that opening this highway saves transportation costs of some 20 million yuan per day. And he says road repairs are coming along well.

Luo yuhong, Deputy director of Sichuan Transpotation bureau, said,"We've already finished 70 percent of the total road reconstruction. All of the reconstruction projects will be started by next March. 60 percent should be completed by the end of 2009. And within three years, except for a few most challenging ones, all quake-damaged roads will resume operation at full capacity."

Rebuilding could take longer than constructing new roads. The quake damaged over 40 percent of Sichuan's transport routes.

Han Bin, reported from wenchuan country in sichuan, said,"The May earthquake made many roads useless. This cut off many towns and counties. Seven months on, most places are accessible, but reconstruction has a long way to go."

Building is going on everywhere in Wenchuan. On December 19th, celebrations marked the re-start of a hydro-electric plant. Cheng Rusong is one of the key forces behind this project. He says the 8-magnitude quake unleashed massive stones and rocks from the mountains, and completely destroyed the outer structure of the plant. This section has been rebuilt by the surviving workers.