5000km-long new expressways added in 2018 // total length nears TWO times of American Interstates

[AndrewJin]

A summary of controlled-access expressways of 2018

An estimated 5000+km-long new expressways open in 2018.
The final two months will see inauguration of many new sections.

By the end of 2017, total length reached 136500 KM.

Therefore, the total length will surpass 140,000 km by the end of 2018, and more than 150,000 km in 2020, nearly twice the total length of America's Interstate Highway System.

BUT, considering the POPULATION of China and growing appetite for car ownership, China should continue massive expressway construction and should also start upgrading of all expressways that were built 10-20 years ago.

http://wemedia.ifeng.com/67293035/wemedia.shtml




An old density comparison back in 2015.
Provincial expressways are not shown on China's map.
The density in the populous regions has seemingly surpassed most comparable countries.
But population here is not considered to give a better picture.

Expressway bridges in Guizhou Province

 

[AndrewJin]

Expressways are redefining transport in Rural China

Mountainous expressway in Southwest China

Beijing-kunming Expressway in Sichuan Province, Southwest China

Chengdu-Lhasa Expressway
Ya'an-Luding section under construction
Sichuan plains transition to Tibetan plateaus

Tibet's Lhasa-Ningzhi Expressway

Shanghai-Kunming Expressway near Guiyang, Southwest China

Link: https://720yun.com/t/f8cjOzmutf6?scene_id=3053566

 

[moweike]

But the US spends $60 billion, against China's one belt one road?

 

[AndrewJin]

G56 Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway is a 3400km-long horizontal trunk route connecting Hangzhou in the East all the way to Sino-Burma border in Yunnan Province.

There are many high bridges along this expressway in Southwest China.

@AViet @Jlaw @powastick @Game.Invade @Realtalk108 @Gibbs @DESERT FIGHTER @lcloo @anant_s et al

But the US spends $60 billion, against China's one belt one road?

China is progressing with all countries, but China is also attending to her internal transport demands which are increasing faster than the construction speed.

Many Chinese expressways built 10-20 years ago, at that time mostly in China's East, are experiencing worst traffic jams everyday.

Now we are have to attend to two different demands, one in those without any expressway at all especially in China's West and Centre, and the one in China's more developed area where we have to build new parallel expressways to ease traffic.

Beijing-Tibet Expressway
Annual traffic jam festival

Infamous Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway in Central China
Famous for deadly truck accidents in the midnight
Now there is a parallel Second Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway, but no matter how many you build, never enough!
There is no space to upgrade due to its original countryside location is now surrounded by dense urban areas.....

 

[jhungary]

A summary of controlled-access expressways of 2018

An estimated 5000+km-long new expressways open in 2018.
The final two months will see inauguration of many new sections.

By the end of 2017, total length reached 136500 KM.

Therefore, the total length will surpass 140,000 km by the end of 2018, and more than 150,000 km in 2020, nearly twice the total length of America's interstate system.

BUT, considering the POPULATION of China and growing appetite for car ownership, China should continue massive expressway construction and should also start upgrading of all expressways that were built 10-20 years ago.

http://wemedia.ifeng.com/67293035/wemedia.shtml




An old density comparison back in 2015.
Provincial expressways are not shown on China's map.
The density in the populous regions has seemingly surpassed most comparable countries.
But population here is not considered to give a better picture.

View attachment 519340


Expressway bridges in Guizhou Province

umm, if you have to compare Chinese Freeway to US system, why you compare with Interstate only? When Interstate is just a part of Federal Highway system, many Interstate are either part of existing freeway or existing highway in the US. Interstate Route in the US only mean the stretch of Highway that cross stateline, not the full length of Highway or Freeway that Interstate was on.

For example. Highway 101 run North to South from Washington to San Diego, its whole stretch is 1500 mile, but the interstate part (Interstate 80 and Interstate 5) only lasted 500 mile out of the whole stretch, which mean if you count only Interstate, you missed about 1000 mile of US Highway 12, 20, 26, 30 and 199.

I mean, Chinese freeway does not start and end when you go over different states, right? It's a full stretch not just the one that connect the city.

By the way, the Full Length of Federal Highway System in the US is approximately 250,000 KM (or 160,000 mile)

 

[AndrewJin]

umm, if you have to compare Chinese Freeway to US system, why you compare with Interstate only? When Interstate is just a part of Federal Highway system, many Interstate are either part of existing freeway or existing highway in the US. Interstate Route in the US only mean the stretch of Highway that cross stateline, not the full length of Highway or Freeway that Interstate was on.

For example. Highway 101 run North to South from Washington to San Diego, its whole stretch is 1500 mile, but the interstate part (Interstate 80 and Interstate 5) only lasted 500 mile out of the whole stretch, which mean if you count only Interstate, you missed about 1000 mile of US Highway 12, 20, 26, 30 and 199.

I mean, Chinese freeway does not start and end when you go over different states, right? It's a full stretch not just the one that connect the city.

By the way, the Full Length of Federal Highway System in the US is approximately 250,000 KM (or 160,000 mile)

Controlled-access
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled-access_highway


This thread only compares similar controlled-access network, in US it is interstate, in German, it is Autobahn.

National highways in China

Compare the density of above map and the expressway (interstate/Autobahn) below

 

[jhungary]

Controlled-access
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled-access_highway


This thread only compares controlled-access network, in US it is interstate, in German, it is Autobahn.

National highways in China
View attachment 519376

Compare the density of above map and the expressway (interstate/Autobahn) below

View attachment 519377

umm, Federal Highway/Turnpike are or can be control access too.....

And interstate sometime are not.

Look at this road sign

A turnpike can have both Interstate and US Highway in it (in this case I-376 and US 22)

 

[AndrewJin]

It was not until 1997 that Fujian Province opened its first expressway.
Now total length surpasses 5000km, but not yet among China's top 10 provinces.
Fujian has very complex mountainous landscapes.

umm, Federal Highway are or can be control access too.....

And interstate sometime are not.

Then you can inform America's interstate highway authority to change its definition to reflect lower standards compared to normal controlled-access highways we have around the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gaps_in_Interstate_Highways

 

[jhungary]

Then you can inform America's interstate highway authority to change its definition to reflect lower standards as normal controlled-access highways we have around the world.

First of all, you are saying "Control Access Highway" That's what you said.

In the US, controlled access highway is a highway that as a divided highway with full control of access. Which mean 1.) No adjacent access to highway from dwelling from both side.
2.) The traffic is free flowing.

This is the definition from the Federal Highway Administration

Which mean any highway that are "access controlled" would fit in your definition. Since the US does not use the British System (Which separate between Freeway, Highway and Motorway" The US and its states have individually assign which part of highway belong to which. And in this case, most Highway and turnpike are access controlled, and not just interstate. Interstate Route system is a very small trunk of US highway system, because they only go interstates.

I am working on your definition, not mine, you said you only counted Control Access Highway. Which basically 80% of US highway are Access Controlled, according to FHAM

 

[AndrewJin]

First of all, you are saying "Control Access Highway" That's what you said.

In the US, controlled access highway is a highway that as a divided highway with full control of access. Which mean 1.) No adjacent access to highway from dwelling from both side.
2.) The traffic is free flowing.

This is the definition from the Federal Highway Administration

Which mean any highway that are "access controlled" would fit in your definition. Since the US does not use the British System (Which separate between Freeway, Highway and Motorway" The US and its states have individually assign which part of highway belong to which. And in this case, most Highway and turnpike are access controlled, and not just interstate. Interstate Route system is a very small trunk of US highway system, because they only go interstates.

I am working on your definition, not mine, you said you only counted Control Access Highway. Which basically 80% of US highway are Access Controlled, according to FHAM

Ok, whatever you like to include as the expressways (German autobahn style) we normally compare.

Maybe this can be an Autobahn-style controlled-access expressway to US, who knows...

Though all serious ranks will only include real ones.
And China will not include similar Chinese province/national highways which are similar to America's non-Interstate highways.

The rank which totals American expressways as 100k rather than Interstate's 70+k, has already added non-Interstate German-style autobahns, for example those non-Interstate freeways in California (compare the following maps). But MOST American national highways are not in conformity of the global standards to be included in this proper ranking.

100k vs Interstate (70k)

 

[TaiShang]

Amazing development feat. I agree that China needs to continue to invest more on transportation networks to meet not only the existing demand, but also projected demand.

Good news is, unlike 2017 in which infra investment somehow slowed down (as part of efforts to cool down economy), this year (from second half) investment in infra has picked up again, as per data.

 

[AndrewJin]

Amazing development feat. I agree that China needs to continue to invest more on transportation networks to meet not only the existing demand, but also projected demand.

Good news is, unlike 2017 in which infra investment somehow slowed down (as part of efforts to cool down economy), this year (from second half) investment in infra has picked up again, as per data.

You got to love driving in Guizhou Province!

Good news is, unlike 2017 in which infra investment somehow slowed down (as part of efforts to cool down economy), this year (from second half) investment in infra has picked up again, as per data.

Too many infra projects need to be built ASAP, everything is getting increasingly expensive!

This 30-million-population city cluster lacks expressways!

 

[TaiShang]

You got to love driving in Guizhou Province!

I have specific dreams and plans for that.

Taiwan is too small an island for adventure. Travel extensively and in a month or so, not much left to explore.

I actually do not understand much why people keep buying Lexus RX, Toyota Prado or Volvo C90 in Taiwan. This makes sense only after a bridge/tunnel is built between Mainland and Taiwan. Maybe we just like to prepare for that and be ready when it becomes a reality.

 

[powastick]

What is the different between national and provincial highways? Different rates?

 

[Daniel808]

You got to love driving in Guizhou Province!

View attachment 519389
View attachment 519390View attachment 519391View attachment 519392 View attachment 519394


Too many infra projects need to be built ASAP, everything is getting increasingly expensive!

This 30-million-population city cluster lacks expressways!
View attachment 519399

Thanks again for another amazing thread, Andrew Jin.
The more thread you made here, the Closer we all understand about China's Development, Rise, and Culture.
Thank you !


How about Xian-Chengdu Expressway?
What's your favorite Expressway in China anyway, Andrew?

@BHarwana @AZADPAKISTAN2009 @Slav Defence @waz