BEIJING, May 3 -- China's fixed-asset investment in roads and waterways jumped 15 percent year on year during the first quarter of this year, official data shows.

More than 588.9 billion yuan (about 85.05 billion U.S. dollars) was invested in the construction of the country's roads and waterways in the period, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Specifically, fixed-asset investment for roads stood at 548.63 billion yuan, up 14.1 percent from the same period last year, while that for waterways construction surged 29.9 percent to 40.27 billion yuan.

Fixed-asset investment in China's transport sector jumped 13.3 percent year on year to 720.5 billion yuan in the first quarter, earlier data reveals.