A congested downtown road is to become an urban expressway with a new tunnel in a bid to solve traffic problems in west Shanghai, the city government said yesterday.

The 2.9-kilometer tunnel will be built beneath Wuning Road in Putuo District between the city's Middle Ring Road and Dongxin Road near Suzhou Creek. It will have two lanes in each direction with a speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour.

The road will become three lanes in each direction with the speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour.