Highway has developed rapidly in and around Suzhou in recent years. The Hu-Ning ( Shanghai & Suzhou ) Highway goes by Suzhou, by which it takes 1.5 hours to drive to Shanghai, 35 minutes to Wuxi, 2.5 hours to Nanjing. Highway is also available from Suzhou to Hangzhou starting from Jia Xing with 3.5 hours driving time. Connecting Xie-Chun Highway, the Hu-Ning Highway makes the distance between Suzhou and Yangzhou as short as only 2.5 hours driving time. Suzhou, as one of the main culture cities in South China, is also part of the national freeway network with number 22,318 and 204 freeways passing by the city. The modern new highway between Suzhou and Shanghai airport is scheduled to be put into operation at the end of the year 2000.