URUMQI, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will invest 3 billion yuan (474 million U.S. dollars) in building 410 rural roads, with a total length of 5,239 km, this year, local authorities said Monday.

The project, which covers 454 villages under the jurisdiction of 30 townships in the region, will benefit more than one million rural residents, especially those living in the poverty-stricken southern part of the region, according to the region's transport department.

Upon completion, the network of rural roads will bring income increases to local farmers and herdsmen, as their products will be more immediately available for sale in urban areas.

The region poured a total of 15.4 billion yuan into rural road construction from 1998 to 2011. The region's overall road mileage reached 155,000 km by the end of 2011.