China Ranks World's Second in Expressway Construction

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 17, 2001

China Ranks World's Second in Expressway Construction

China has completed constructing over 3,000 kilometers of new expressways this year, thereby increasing its mileage of accessible expressways to 19,000 kilometers, leaping second of the world. Construction of expressway will maintain a rapid growth in the country in the coming period of time. A national mainline network composed of "five vertical and seven horizontal" throughways will be completed and become accessible in 2008 when the Olympic Games is to be held in Beijing.

New Record Set

Sources say that China has created a highlight by setting a news record on newly added mileage this year. The highest record was 2,872 kilometers in 2000.

Lianyungang-Horgos Highway

On the trunk line of Lianyungang-Horgos National Highway, expressways that connect Luoyang, Sanmenxia with Lingbao, and Shangqiu with Kaifeng have become accessible.

Beijing-Zhuhai Highway

On the trunk line of Beijing-Zhuhai National Highway, sections in Hunan Province and Hubei Province, covering more than 100 and 220 kilometers respectively, have been completed.

Southwest Expressway

On Beijing-Fuzhou National Highway, Hefei-Xuzhou section has been finished; the 1015-km exit channel of the Southwest Expressway, which has been completed recently, provided a convenient means to the impoverished southwest regions to touch the world.

Expressway construction develops quickly in China since the country started its first project in 1988. By the end of 1998, the total mileage of accessible expressways had reached 6,258 kilometers, leaping eighth of the world; by the end of 1999, the total mileage reached 10,000 kilometers, ranking fourth; and by the end of 2000, 16,000 kilometers, the third.

Rapid Growth to Be Maintained

Two Vertical, Two Horizontal

Construction of expressway will maintain a rapid growth in the country in the coming period of time. "Three Important Sections composed of two vertical and two horizontal highways", China's first national highway network which takes expressway as mainlines, will be completed in 2002.

Five Vertical, Seven Horizontal

So far, sections of Beijing-Shenyang and Beijing-Shanghai have become accessible. Sections jointing Tongjiang in Heilongjiang Province with Sanya in Hainan Province, Beijing with Zhuhai, Lianyungang with Horgos, Shanghai with Chengdu, and the section of exit channel of southeast regions are under intense construction.

A national mainline network composed of "five vertical and seven horizontal" throughways will be completed and become accessible in 2008 when the Olympic Games is to be held in Beijing.

China Invests Heavily in Highways

China Invests Heavily in Highways in 2001. A total investment of 220 billion yuan (some US$26.6 billion) is expected to be made in high construction for the whole of this year. Highway investment in the vast western areas in January-October increased by 17 percent on an annual basis. A sum of 172.6 billion yuan (US$20.9 billion) was invested in highway projects in China in the first ten months this year.

By the end of this year, the total length of highways in China is estimated to reach 1.4 million kilometers, including 16,000 kilometers of expressways.

China's First Desert Expressway Under Construction

Construction of China's first desert expressway is well under way and scheduled to be completed in 2003. The expressway stretches from Yulin City to Jingbian County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, cutting across the 10,000- square-kilometer Mu Us Desert, on the border of Shaanxi Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The 134-kilometer expressway has 17 bridges, 30 overpasses and 200 culverts, and will be built at a cost of 1.76 billion yuan.

By PD Online staff member Du Minghua

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