 |
Beijing's Olympic Bid Spurs Massive Infrastructure Investment
On the first day of a four-day inspection by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission, Beijing vows to make a massive investment of more than US$20 billion in its infrastructure project to facilitate its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games.
It will be one of the largest construction projects ever in China since the construction of the Great Wall, which dated back some 2000 years ago, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Bidding Committee (BOBICO) said.
Under the plan, Beijing will triple the length of its expressway networks, expand and upgrade its public transport system and build dozens of competition and training venues by 2008.
Regardless of the outcome of its Olympic bid, the Beijing's municipal government is already committed to expanding its expressway network from 216 kilometers to more than 700km by 2008.
Construction of additional ring roads and other expressways will directly link every satellite town with a population over 50,000 in metropolitan Beijing, according to BOBICO.
In public transportation, a 40.85km addition to Beijing's existing 53.7km subway line is slated to open by the end of 2002.
By 2008, Beijing's subway and light rail system will encompass 140km and will link central Beijing to the Olympic Park now under development on the city's northern outskirts.
The Olympic Park, the cornerstone of Beijing's commitment, provides 37 competition and 59 training venues for 28 sports during the 2008 Olympic Games. Thirteen of the competition venues have already been completed, another 11 are under construction or in the planning stages and the construction of eight more will proceed if Beijing wins the hosting right.
"These investment will not only ensure that Beijing's readiness and infrastructure to host the 2008 Games are second to none, but also permanently improve the quality of life of Beijing's 12 million residents, " said Liu Jingmin, Vice Mayor of Beijing and spokesman for BOBICO.
The IOC evaluation commission will prepare an assessment report on the five bidding cities also including Toronto, Istanbul, Paris and Osaka after their inspection tour. Their findings are believed to play a major role in IOC's final decision on July 13 on the Games venue.
In This Section
|