Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    SHENZHEN officially started construction of its outer ring expressway, the longest and one of the most important east-west expressways in the city, yesterday.

    At the opening ceremony, Zhou Qingming, vice president of Shenzhen Expressway Co., said the outer ring expressway’s significance lies in its ability to form Shenzhen’s expressway network by linking up with 10 other expressways.

    The expressway is expected to handle 100,000 vehicles a day and relieve traffic from Beihuan Boulevard, Jihe and Nanping expressways, which are overcrowded with vehicles.

    The outer ring expressway is viewed as the most important of the seven horizontal expressways in Shenzhen’s expressway network, as it will go though Bao’an, Guangming, Longhua, Longgang and Pingshan, as well as 13 areas designated for future development. The plan is to build three lanes going each direction with a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour.

    The project is expected to be completed in 2018.

    The 75.8-kilometer Shenzhen section will link Guangzhou-Shenzhen Riverside Expressway on the city’s west side with Yanba Expressway on the city’s east side.

    It will pass through northern subdistricts in Longgang District, Bao’an District, and Pingshan and Guangming new areas, including Shajing, Guanlan, Pingdi, Kengzi and Kuichong.

    Shenzhen Mayor Xu Qin said at the kick-off ceremony that the expressway will play an important role in promoting regional economic growth and the integration of Pearl River Delta cities, as it will connect to Guangdong’s expressway network.