BEIJING -- The central government has allocated 66.9 billion yuan ($10.8 billion) to fund major road construction, the Ministry of Finance announced Friday.

The money will mainly be used to build national- and provincial-level roads, as well as defense highways, the ministry said.

The government has earmarked 186.9 billion yuan from its income from vehicle purchase taxes to fund transportation projects so far this year, according to the ministry.

The government plans to spend 4.7 trillion yuan to expand the national road network during the 2013-2030 period.