North China's Hebei province plans to invest 67.6 billion yuan in 2010 to upgrade its transportation system, transportation sources said Jan 28.

50 billion yuan will go into highway construction, a record high for the province. Eight highways with a total length of 417.3 kilometers are scheduled to begin construction this year, including one linking Shijiazhuang, the capital of the province, and Xibaipo, a village located in Pingshan county. Pingshan county served as the seat of the headquarters of the Communist Party of China and its troops from May 1948 to March 1949.

Last year the province invested 37.57 billion yuan in highway projects and extended its total highway size to 3303 kilometers.

Three airports in Zhangjiakou, Chengde and Qinghuangdao will also be under construction. Currently, Hebei only has four cities that are home to airports.

Huanghua Port, a coal port in southern Hebei's Cangzhou, will become a comprehensive port serving southern Hebei's six inland cities, including Shijiazhuang and Baoding.

"Huanghua Port will help the six inland cities develop export-oriented economies," said an official with the Hebei Provincial Transportation Department.