BEIJING, Aug 25 (AFP) - Engineers have almost finished repairing a 4,000 metre (12,000 feet) high road through Tibet and the Qinghai plateau, a route described as "the highest in the world," the official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

The five year reconstruction of the Qinghai-Tibet road, used to carry 90 percent of cargo and 85 percent of visitors to Tibet, has so far cost 800 million yuan (96 million dollars), the report said.

"The road, one of two major roads to Tibet, is the highest road in the world, with an average elevation of 4,000 metres (12,000 feet)," it said.