URUMQI - An expressway between Urumqi and Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, northwest China, opened Wednesday, the final section of a route that creates a "seamless" north-south connection in the region.

According to the regional transportation department, the 428 kilometer highway that links Aksu, Artux and Kashgar, three major cities in south Xinjiang, is now operational. It took four years to build.

The section between Urumqi in north Xinjiang and Aksu opened in 2011. The expressway will also serve as an important artery connecting China with Central and West Asia.

Xinjiang accounts for one sixth of the total area of China, but it only had 843 km of expressway by the end of 2010, far below the national average. This figure has surged to more than 4,000 km. Hotan is the only prefecture in the autonomous region not linked to highway.