THE first and second phases of Shenzhen Outer Ring Expressway, one of the most important east-west expressways in Shenzhen, are expected to be completed in 2020 and 2021, respectively, sznews.com reported.

The outer ring expressway is viewed as the most important of the 10 horizontal expressways in Shenzhen’s expressway network, linking 10 expressways and eight main highways in the city.

Upon completion, the expressway will not only stimulate the economies in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou, but also cut the traffic time between the three cities and ease traffic congestion on the existing expressways, such as Jihe and Nanping expressways.

At present, three tunnels for the outer ring expressway have been finished, namely Honghualing Tunnel, Changliubei Tunnel and Qinglin Tunnel.

The outer ring expressway is being jointly built by Shenzhen and Dongguan, running about 93 kilometers.

The 76-kilometer Shenzhen section will link Guangzhou-Shenzhen Riverside Expressway and Bao’an District on the city’s west side with Yanba Expressway on the city’s east side.

It will pass through the northern subdistricts of Guangming, Longhua, Longgang and Pingshan districts as well as Dongguan City. In the future, the expressway will also connect with Dapeng New Area.

The first phase of the outer ring expressway runs 51 kilometers, including 35.67 kilometers from Shajing to Guanlan and 15.06 kilometers from Longcheng to Pingdi. The project includes 52 bridges, five tunnels, 12 interchanges and nine ramp tolls.

The second phase of the outer ring expressway, with a length of about 9.35 kilometers, starts at Huiyan Expressway, passes Pingdi and Kengzi in the south and ends at Danzi Boulevard. A temporary toll station has been set up at Jinxiu West Road to connect with Julong Road.

The project consists of nine bridges, three interchanges, one temporary toll station and one service area.

(Zhang Yu)