SHANGHAI -- When it comes to infrastructure, China always thinks big. Look no further than the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square or giant man-made canals to appreciate the nation's proclivity for massive public works.

Today, China's number one public works project is building new roads. First-time visitors find themselves awestruck by the quality and expanse of the fresh pavement.
Last month a delegation from Detroit-based auto parts companies traveled to some budding manufacturing centers outside Shanghai. On the night before their return home, I asked what impressed them most about their first visit to China.

"The roads," they replied. "Before coming over, we said okay, it's great to sell two million new cars. But where are they going to run them - over rice fields? Now we know that China has the highways."

Taking a cue from America's own economic miracle, China is investing billions of dollars into world-class highways. Smoothly paved roads - some as wide as eight lanes - connect major cities like Shanghai with its inland neighbors.

Heavy trucks, laden with gravel for construction sites, snake along at speeds of less than 50 mph. In the passing lane, you see BMWs, Buick Regals and Honda Accords routinely blowing by at speeds of 80 or 90 mph.

Just beginning to surface are full service rest stops, which appear strikingly similar in scale and layout to what we have in America. Giant signs in Chinese and English indicate mileage to next cities, exits and highway interchanges.

New highways are clearly accelerating broader economic development. Transport times between Anhui (where annual incomes average as little as $300) and Shanghai have been reduced from days to hours.

But the roads also have produced some staggering costs in terms of human lives. In 2003, some 115,000 people were killed on Chinese roads. This death total compares with a level of around 46,000 in America.

The speed limit is 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour. But because the roads have sprung up so rapidly, local governments do not have the resources to police them.
Half of the casualties are pedestrians, mostly in the rural areas. New highways often run straight through a farmer's land. Unfamiliar with vehicle speeds, farmers misjudge how much time is needed to scamper safely across the road. Bicyclists, who share roads with cars, are also frequent victims.

Whatever the costs, China seems undeterred in its quest to show the world that it can match global infrastructure standards.

In 2004 the city of Shanghai invested $1.2 billion in a world-class facility to host China's first Formula One race. Top engineers from Audi who had test driven vehicles at Shanghai circuit say the track quality is as good or better than anywhere else in the world.

Improved roads are good news for overseas investors too. Now, it is possible to for foreign companies set up operations off the coast instead of in the more expensive Shanghai venues.

As for the Chinese, it seems that they embrace the new highways despite the heavy casualties. When asked about the national death toll, a young Shanghai professional answered with shrug of resignation: "Well, there are just too many people in China. And we need the roads."