The expressway stretching from Zhangjiajie City to Huayuan County (in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture) officially opened to traffic on November 30, 2013. It is expected to greatly facilitate Zhangjiajie's establishment as a tourist destination that is well-known at home and abroad, as well as the advancement of west Hunan.
The expressway starts from Yongding District of Zhangjiajie, travels across Yongshun County, Baojing County of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and arrives at Huayuan County. Upon completion, the expressway is expected to connect cities within the province as well as inter-province expressways, fueling the economic development of areas along the line and speeding up the pace of poverty-alleviation in Wuling Mountain area.
Meanwhile, the expressway, functioning as a traffic artery between Zhangjiajie and southwest China, plays a great role in tourism development of Zhangjiajie. The link-up with Shanghai-Kunming Expressway, Changde-Jishou Expressway, Fenghuang-Daxing Expressway and Chongqing-Hunan Expressway will shorten the travel time between Zhangjijie and southwest China including Chongqing, Sichuan and Guizhou to seven hours.
