Beijing Builds Third Major ThoroughfareChina's capital today started construction on its third major east-west thoroughfare south of and parallel to Chang'an Avenue, the city's main artery.Beijing will invest a total of four billion yuan (482 million US dollars) to build the 8.5-kilometer and six-lane road. The new thoroughfare will be built by broadening the present Guang'an Street, constructed in the 1950s. Guang'an Street is often the sight of frequent traffic jams, because it is less than 10 meters wide in most sections. About 12,000 households and hundreds of units will have to be relocated to make way for the new Guang'an Avenue. The new thoroughfare will run from the Guangqumen fly-over bridge to the Guang'anmen fly-over bridge. Construction is expected to be finished by September 2001. It will connect with the Beijing-Shijiangzhuang Expressway in the west and the Fourth Ring Road in the east. Ping'an Avenue, Beijing's second avenue parallel to and north of Chang'an Avenue, was opened to traffic last autumn. |
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