At 00:00 on 15th December, the new Wudong Toll Station of the Wuhan-Huangshi Expressway was officially put into operation. It symbolizes the accelerated pace in the integrated development of Wuhan, Ezhou, Huanggang and Huangshi, which signifies that the renovation project of the "middle channel" of Wuhan new city - the Gaoxin Third Road will kick off large-scale construction.
The new Wudong Toll Station, with 17 lanes respectively "8 entries and 9 exits" in total, has been relocated about 8 kilometers eastward from the original Wudong Toll Station, which is added with 2 lanes compared to the "6 entries and 9 exits" configuration of the original station. Upon the new station opening, it will be incorporated into the management of the national expressway network and operate as usual in a "zero-rating" model. That means all vehicles running on this section will be exempt from tolls, and tolls for other sections such as Fuzhou-Yinchuan Expressway and Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway will also be collected on behalf. The original Wudong Toll Station and Baoxie Toll Station ceased charging at 24:00 on December 14th. The two will be gradually removed recently. The entry and exit lanes of Baoxie Toll Station and the road it is located on is available temporarily.
The activation of the new Wudong Toll Station is of great significance for accelerating the renovation of the Gaoxin Third Road and the improvement of expressways connecting Wuhan new city with
Ezhou, Huangshi, and Huanggang, achieving linkage between the northern and southern regions of the Optics Valley in Wuhan, integrating industry and urban development. These will contribute to promote
the coordinated development of related national-level industrial bases.