The Chongming County government has designed a park for bicycle enthusiasts that it wants to build to attract cyclists and tourists to the island, a county official said Thursday.

The Chongming Planning and Land Authority published its plan for the project on its website Wednesday and is now seeking public comment until October 5. The project is still awaiting government approval for funding, according to a press officer surnamed Gong with the Publicity Office of the Chongming County People's Government.

The government wants to build the park on 110.5 hectares of land in the southeastern part of the island near the town of Chenjia, according to the plan. The park will feature tracks for road races, BMX biking, mountain bike cycling and extreme bike sports, all built according to the requirements of the International Cycling Union (UCI). Tourists will be able to use the park for sightseeing, camping and cooking out.

The island has hosted the Tour of Chongming Island since 2010. The event is the only UCI Women Road World Cup race in Asia.

"When completed, it will be Shanghai's first park for bicycle enthusiasts featuring a track that can also be used for a competition," Gong said.

The park faces several obstacles, however. More than 1 billion yuan still needs to be found for the government-funded project, according to an official surnamed Wu in charge of park development at Chenjia County Construction Development Co Ltd. It will also take at least one year to prepare the land for construction.

"Construction of the subway to the island will not begin until at least 2015," Wu said. "It will take several years for the island to become a popular destination."