The Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu expressway, connecting China's capital with a leading port in the northern part of the nation, re-opened to traffic early Saturday morning, according to communications sources in Tianjin.

The expressway was closed for 76 days for an overhaul of a 64-km section, which was completed Friday night.

It was the first time the expressway was closed for a revamping project since it was put into operation in 1991.

The 142.69-km-long road, the first trans-regional expressway in China, had a 50-km section between Yangcun and Tanggu of Tianjin seriously damaged after 15 years of operation. The overload of heavy-duty lorries was the major factor for the damage, the sources said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2005)