China Starts Work on $11.4 Billion Three Gorges Expansion

China has started construction of a new five-stage ship-lock system at the Three Gorges Dam, a $11.4 billion project designed to ease congestion on the Yangtze. The expansion will add a 6.68-kilometre, two-way channel and allow larger vessels to pass more efficiently. Officials expect annual cargo capacity to rise to 336 million tonnes, nearly twice current levels. Construction is scheduled to take nine years, reflecting the dam’s growing importance to China’s inland shipping network and broader economic development and trade.