Authorities in China's far western Xinjiang have said that the region's spending on road infrastructure hit record high in 2011 and they would continue to invest heavily in the sector this year.

Xinjiang's fixed asset investment in the transportation sector reached 35.5 billion yuan (5.63 billion U.S. dollars) in 2011, up 43 percent from a year ago, according to a statement from a regional transport conference held on Monday in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital.

The region will continue its heavy investment in 2012, planning to spend another 30 to 35 billion yuan in the transportation sector.

Construction on dozens of new roads, including several expressways, began in 2011. The projects cover Altay, Changji, Ili, Turpan and Kashgar, which boast abundant coal, crude oil, nonferrous metal and other mineral resources.

According to the statement, Xinjiang also spent 5.7 billion yuan building 9,582 km of countryside roads, which, it said, would benefit more than 1.55 million farmers.

Meanwhile, a total of 230 new bus routes became operational in the region's rural areas in 2011, said the statement.

Xinjiang, home to about 21 million people, covers one-sixth of China's territory and is the largest Chinese region in terms of landmass.

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