Recently, the China Grand Canal Think Tank Alliance, in collaboration with the Chongqing Think Tank and the Yangtze River National Strategy Research Institute, as well as the Grand Canal Think Tank Development Research Center, released the list of the top 10 events for the protection, inheritance, and utilization of Grand Canal culture in 2024 in Beijing. The "Grand Canal Hundred-Mile Gallery Hongze Lake Tourism Road Fully Connected" was successfully selected. This marks the third time Huai'an City has been recognized, following its inclusion in the top 10 events for the protection, inheritance, and utilization of Grand Canal culture in 2022 for "Huai'an Leading the 'Canal Capital' with the Grand Canal Hundred-Mile Gallery" and in 2023 for "'Canal Capital' Huai'an Focusing on Creating a 'Prosperous River, Happy River'".

In April 2024, the Grand Canal Hundred-Mile Gallery Hongze Lake Tourism Road was fully connected in Huai'an City. The tourism road spans a total length of 165 kilometers, with a total investment of approximately RMB 1.27 billion, and construction officially began in January 2022. The project covers a total length of 170.87 kilometers, including 12.27 kilometers in Huaiyin District, 46.4 kilometers in Hongze District, and 112.2 kilometers in Xuyi County. The 3 counties and relevant municipal departments along the route have promptly begun planning for surrounding road networks, spatial comprehensive utilization, and agricultural-tourism integration, aiming to create a water-friendly avenue, ecological tourism avenue, flood prevention lifeline, and rural revitalization avenue. This initiative seeks to enhance economic, social, and ecological effects, further showcasing the unique resource endowment and charm of the fourth largest freshwater lake.