China Expressways, Highways: News & Discussions

[shadows888]

What a crazy ten years!

China has 130,000 km of highways, the most in the world

China now has over 130,000 kilometers of highways nationwide, according to an official census on the country’s expressways. That’s enough to go around the globe more than three times.

Every year since 2011, another 10,000 kilometers has been added to the network. And China now has the world’s largest highway system.

The Jinggang’ao Expressway, which links Beijing to Hong Kong and Macao, is the country’s busiest highway. Every day some 140,000 tons of cargo travels this road and it’s the country’s No 1 expressway for congestion.

It makes sense, as the area around Beijing also has one of the country’s most vibrant economies.

“If you look closely, it’s obvious that highways contribute a lot to the regional economy. The busiest sections, with their traffic, and load capacity, show economic hubs are often linked with highway systems,” said Liu Fang from China Academy of Transportation Sciences.

That’s why China continues to add more pavements.

The Yanhuang Expressway, which runs 800 kilometers along the Yellow River, will open to traffic soon.

“We have very high hopes for the highway’s opening. There will be so many more tourists here. We can sell them dates and introduce them to scenic spots along the route. Our investment will definitely pay off,” said Zhang Tianxiao, a travel agency manager.

The Chinese saying may still hold true after all: Want to get rich? You have to first build a road.

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Crazy expressway network
between Wuhan／Zhengzhou in Central China and Xi'an in Western China.
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Best thing is China uses all concrete for the expressways. In the USA it's asphalt because its cheaper than concrete but concrete have longer lifespan and require less maintenance.

 

[JSCh]

Bridge with largest arch span in China completes connection
CGTN
Published on Sep 27, 2017

A bridge with the largest arch span in China, the Nandu River Grand Bridge, completed its connection when its two parts were joined smoothly on Monday in Hefeng county of central China's Hubei Province. The Nandu River Grand Bridge is a deck and box-arch bridge built with reinforced concrete.

 

[samsara]

Tibet Today 《还看今朝》西藏篇

Published on Sep 29, 2017

00:28:38-00:30:56 Zangmu Railway Bridge

Zangmu Railway Bridge 藏木雅鲁藏布江双线特大桥
Jiachazhen, Tibet, China
90 meters high; 430 meter span
Completion schedule: 2019

Zangmu Railway Bridge is the showcase bridge structure on the high speed line between Lhasa and Linzhi in mountainous Tibet. The main arch span of 430 meters will rank among the 15 longest arch spans in the world. Among railway-only arch spans, Zangmu will rank fourth only behind the Nujiang, Beipanjiang Qinglong and Xijiang Railway Bridges. Among CFST (Concrete Filled Steel Tubular) bridges, Zangmu is the largest ever used for a railway span. Once the arch is closed, concrete is pumped into the main arch rib tubes from the bottom up. Once hardened, the concrete solidifies and stiffens the arch, improving the compressive strength of the entire structure.

Since the main span of Zangmu is wedged between two steep mountain slopes, the arch sections will be lowered into place via one of the longest span highlines ever used for the construction of a bridge with a distance between cable anchorages of approximately 940 meters. The Yarlung Tsangpo River is the longest and largest waterway in Tibet, eventually feeding into the famous Brahmaputra River and is often named the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra when referring to the whole 2,900 kilometer long river. The Zangmu Railway Bridge crossing is over a reservoir created from a downstream dam and the height estimate of 90 meters is to the old river level.

More beautiful pictures:
http://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=Zangmu_Railway_Bridge

 

[samsara]

China has invested heavily in infrastructure which has given its economy & companies boast, now their construction firms are getting huge contracts in other countries specially Asia & Africa.
But the fact remains that some of these projects specially bullet trains are so expensive that Chinese themselves can't afford it.

Just to share some brief info of my personal experiences with the China's trains as a foreign visitor to China:

-rode on Taiyuan (Shanxi) - Beijing HSR in summer 2017 - departure morning/before noon; weekday - train was full

-rode on Beijing - Shanghai HSR in summer 2016 - departure morning/before noon; weekday - train was full

-rode on Lhasa (Tibet) - Xining (Qinghai) Train (non-HSR but the famous special high-altitude train) in summer 2014 - departure morning/before noon; weekday - train was full

I like to walk around across the train compartments to take pictures and to get some exposure of the different classes and to have some observations on the passengers in general and the train's design and equipment... thus I can tell.

And here are some handy video links with English commentary that I collected from the recent published videos on the new Fuxing trains etc, just look around for the general impressions:

LIVE: On board the world’s fastest bullet train! China launches Fuxing bullet trains which run consistently at the speed of 350 km/h between Beijing and Shanghai.

LIVE: China raises speed of its bullet trains back to 350 kph. Join us for a trip on Fuxing high-speed trains from Shanghai to Beijing.

Watch how long a two-euro coin can balance on a Fuxing train traveling at a steady speed of 350 kph.
China has restored the maximum speed of bullet trains on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway to 350 kph, six years after it was reduced to 300 kph.

LIVE: Lanzhou-Chongqing railway fully opens to traffic. The 855 km railway is seen as a strategic trunk line connecting the northwest and southwest of China. It's expected to facilitate development in the region and boost China's trade with countries along the "Belt and Road" routes.

And surely there are many video clips even made by foreigners about the China's HSR in youtube... you may dig around.

I believe the personal opinion of your Chinese friend was quite subjective and was miles away from accurately depicted the HSR growth, people's acceptance & approval and its popularity in China!

Personally I love to take HSR than airplane; I hate all the strict restrictions in the airplanes; all kinds of hassles incl. delays, and when it's the typhoon season one will esp. appreciate taking trains with the crazy delays faced by airplanes and the narrow seating places in economy class; but I can only dream of such HSR services in the place where I live... and don't think will be able to enjoy such services domestically in my lifetime

 

[TaiShang]

Among railway-only arch spans, Zangmu will rank fourth only behind the Nujiang, Beipanjiang Qinglong and Xijiang Railway Bridges.

Basically, it will race against other China-made projects .

 

[Indus Pakistan]

To everybody here thanks for sharing. As a petrolhead I love miles of tarmac and pedal down chasing the horizon. I love the roads, the scenery in China and will have to do a roadtrip in China at some point. I did Europe this year. I hope these networks one day link up with Pakistan and we can drive as easily as we can in Europe across the borders.

 

[JSCh]

Tibet opens Lhasa-Nyingchi expressway
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 13:27:40|Editor: liuxin



LHASA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- An expressway opened Sunday linking Lhasa and Nyingchi, the two major cities and tourist attractions in Tibet Autonomous Region.

The 409-km toll-free expressway cuts Lhasa- Nyingchi travel time from eight to five hours at a speed limit of 80 km per hour. The construction cost 38 billion yuan (5.8 billion U.S. dollars), according to the local government.

Heavy trucks are temporarily banned from using the expressway.

 

[JSCh]

New highway opens to traffic for China’s only Salar Autonomous County
2017-10-09 08:58 GMT+8

A highway linking Xunhua Salar Autonomous County to the Longwuxia Gorge in Qinghai, formally opened to traffic on Sunday, becoming the first highway in the county. /Chinanews Photo

 

[AndrewJin]

New highway opens to traffic for China’s only Salar Autonomous County
2017-10-09 08:58 GMT+8

A highway linking Xunhua Salar Autonomous County to the Longwuxia Gorge in Qinghai, formally opened to traffic on Sunday, becoming the first highway in the county. /Chinanews Photo

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Expressway to 99% counties!!!

 

[TaiShang]

Expressway to 99% counties!!!

The vital arteries of China's economy and development.

 

[AndrewJin]

Yeah, no road no economic activity no development

The vital arteries of China's economy and development.

Yichang Yangtze River Bridge
Yichang City, Central China
G50 Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway

 

[TaiShang]

China's highway, high-speed railway bridges reach new high
Xinhua, November 6, 2017

China has built more than 800,000 highway bridges, and over 10,000 km of high-speed railway bridges, state transport authorities said Sunday.

There were 805,300 highway bridges across China at the end of 2016, Zhou Wei, chief engineer from the Ministry of Transport, said at an international bridge expo being held in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

Of the world's top 10 cable-stayed, suspension, arch and beam bridges with the longest main spans, seven, six, six and five are in China respectively, according to Zhou.

China had completed 22,000 km of high-speed railway lines as of last year, and bridges accounted for over 50 percent of that length, said Yan Hexiang, director of the technology and law division of the National Railway Administration.

The total length of China's high-speed rail will reach 38,000 km by 2025, and 45,000 km by 2030, he said.

There are also 135 bridges crossing the main course of the Yangtze River, the world's third and Asia's longest river, 32 of which are under construction, said Liu Ziming, president of China Zhongtie Major Bridge Engineering Group.

http://china.org.cn/business/2017-11/06/content_41851783.htm

 

[samsara]

China has built more than 800,000 highway bridges
TECH & SCI - Wang Xueying
2017-11-06 12:10 GMT+8

China has built more than 800,000 highway bridges and the total length of China’s high-speed railway bridges has already been over 10,000 km, state transport authorities said Sunday. Bridges have been another new sign for the rapid development of Chinese construction.

By the end of 2016, there were 805,300 highway bridges across China, according to Zhou Wei, chief engineer from the Ministry of Transport, at the China (Wuhan) International Bridge Industry Expo in central China's Hubei Province.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge/Xinhua Photo

At present, more than half of the global top 10 large cable-stayed bridges are in China, as are six suspension bridges, whose main spans rank top 10 in the world. Besides, China also completed several arch bridges and girder bridges, which are famous across the world.

China has completed 22,000 km of high-speed railway lines, and over 50 percent of these using bridges, said Yan Hexiang, director of the Science Technology and Regulations Department of National Railway Administration (NRA).

Bridge in China/Xinhua Photo

In the future, China aims to continue constructing high-speed railways, making the total length reach 38,000 km by 2025, 45,000 km by 2030 if possible, said Yan.

As a vital part of China’s Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal High-speed Railway Network Project, it is expected to improve China’s transport situation in the future.

Bridge in Nanjing/Xinhua Photo

"NRA will come up with the research and put new technology, devices, and materials into bridge building," he added.

In fact, China’s bridge construction has entered a super era. China not only builds bridges in China but also started to participate in bridge construction overseas.

Bridge in China/Xinhua Photo

For instance, the Halogaland Bridge in northern Norway, with a free span of 1,145 meters, is being built by a Chinese company, the Sichuan Road and Bridge Group. It is expected to be one of the longest suspension bridges in Europe when it opens for traffic in 2018.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency, Global Times

Copyright © 2017

https://news.cgtn.com/news/30597a4d34597a6333566d54/share_p.html
。。。

 

[JSCh]

World highest road tunnel opens to traffic
China Plus Published: 2017-11-14 13:21:56

What's said to be the world highest road tunnel, the "Snow Mountain I," has opened to traffic on Monday in Qinghai Province, three years after the construction started, according to the Transport Bureau in Qinghai Province.

The Huashixia-Jiuzhi highway opens to traffic in northwest China's Qinghai Province, on November 13, 2017. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

The tunnel, 4,400 meters above the sea level and 9,065 meters long, is a part of highway linking Huashixia Township and Jiuzhi County in Qinghai. Located in a valley, mudslides and flooding were common during the construction.

The new tunnel cuts travel distances by some 400 kilometers.

The Huashixia-Jiuzhi highway opens to traffic in northwest China's Qinghai Province, on November 13, 2017. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

The world highest road tunnel, "Snow Mountain I," is a part of the Huashixia-Jiuzhi highway. [Photo: sohu.com]

The Huashixia-Jiuzhi highway opens to traffic in northwest China's Qinghai Province, on November 13, 2017. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

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[JSCh]

China's first cross-sea rail-road bridge takes shape
(Chinanews.com) 13:30, November 17, 2017

The pile foundation of total of 1,895 support pillars of Pingtan Haixia Rail-Road Bridge, China's first cross-sea rail-road bridge has been completed on Nov 16. The construction will go above ground after the underwater work has finished. The bridge has two layers, with the upper level carrying a six-lane highway and the lower level bearing a double-track railway. The 16.3-km-long bridge connects Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, with the island city of Pingtan off the coast of the Taiwan Strait. [Photo/chinanews.com]

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