BEIJING — A total of 299 new projects of expressways and national and provincial highways were kicked off in China in the first nine months of the year, with a length of 9,645 kilometers, according to the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

The total investment of these projects hit 882.6 billion yuan (about $123 billion), Gu Zhifeng, an MOT official, told a press conference on Oct 31.

In September alone, 34 new major road projects were initiated, Gu said, adding that their total investment reached 385.3 billion yuan, skyrocketing about 277 percent from a month ago.

Gu stated that the ministry would continue to intensify efforts on expanding effective investment and accelerating the implementation of a slew of major road projects to better leverage the role of key projects in stabilizing economic operations.

According to the MOT, a total of 16,721 charging points have been built in China's 3,974 expressway service areas as the country has accelerated the construction of battery charging facilities along the roads.