LHASA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region will invest 22 billion yuan (3.5 billion U.S. dollars) in transport construction this year, a senior regional official said.

A highway from regional capital Lhasa to Nyingchi and four airport highways will be constructed, according to Tashi Gyatso, head of Tibet Transport Department.

The region will also carry out 194 construction projects to make highways available to 258 villages to reach the goal that 99.14 percent of the region's rural villages will be linked to highways.

A total of more than 5,000 kilometers of highways will be completed this year, in addition to the construction of four county-level passenger bus stations and two cargo stations.

The region spent 10.1 billion yuan last year on improving its transport infrastructure, up 18.8 percent year on year.

According to its transport development plan, 46.2 billion yuan will be invested from 2011 to 2015, a 78 percent increase from the previous five years.