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China Building Vast Network of Expressways

by Zhang Qi
HERE comes a vast network of expressways along China's coast.
It will link Industrial centres as well as increase mileage In a country with one million kilometres of roads, but which are mostly blacktop and not wide enough for a fast track economy.
And for Uang RenUan. the road couldn't be better. He is not exactly a speed freak, but ever since he became a professional driver at 18. he dreamed of driving as fast as possible.
For most of his Hfe, Mr Uang. now 50. had to be content with 120 kilometres per hour, maximum. Until last September when the Shenyang-Dalian expressway opened.
"The top speed 1 hit on the road was 180 kph, but was most comfortable at 140 Kph." Mr Uang beams. And for commuters tn this city, capital of Uaoning province, northeast China, travel is now on the fast
lane as well .
The 375-kllomctrc Shenyang-Dqhan expressway is the latest and longest in China. It has reduced travel time between the two cities from 12 hours to four.
The opening of the motorway brought the total length of expressways in -the country to about 460 kilometres. 'That's not a great number, but It marks a good beginning." says Zhou Ming, an official in the Ministry of Communications.
It was only in 1984 when China started to build its first expressway. The road network currently extends to nearly one million kilometres, but moat of them are paved with macadam and only four to eight metres wide.
China started hitting the fast road to complement its fast economic strides in the 1980s. Now it feels that to maintain momentum, even more roads are needed. Its ever-incrensing population, too, (now 1.16 billion) has made truffle fn some areas intolerable. In the most thickly-populated cities, vehicles at times travel a maximum of 30 kph.
This year will see the com-K" tton of the 142-km Beijing-njln-Tanggu expressway in Mirth China. It will be the first expressway In the country built according to the standards of the Federation Internationale des Ingenicurs--Con-sctls, an international association that supervises expressway construction.
More are coming : the 272-km I lalkou-Sanya expressway In Hainan province, the 302-km Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Zhujial expressway in Guangdong province: the 300-km Shanhghal-Hangzhou-Nlngbo expressway in Zhejiang province: and the 280-km Shanghai Nanjing expressway In Jiangsu province.
All the expressways traverse China's coastal areas because, according to Mr Zhou, "further development In these irtfustrial areas will speed
economic progress throughout the nation."
Here in Shenyang City, the expressway to Dalian City connects major industrial cities in Liaoning province, including China's largest Iron-and steel centre In Anshan, the petrochemical complex in Uaoyang and the port city of Dalian.
One official calls the road "a runway for the take-off of the Liaodong Peninsula's economy." The Shenyang-Dalian expressway will be extended from Shenyang to Benxi. another Industrial city 80 km away. An 85 km expressway belt will also be constructed around Shenyang itself.
China's first expressway was built In 1988 near Shanghai, the country's largest industrial city. The 20-km Shanghal-Jiading expressway, with four lanes and a designed speed of 120 kph, significantly eased traffic fn the area. Then followed another 20-km expressway. from Shanghai to Song) lang.
Then same the 23-km Guangzhou-Foshan expressway In Guangdong province, south China. This will be extended some 200 km to link Guangzhou with Zhanjlang, a rising city in southwestern Guangdong. Another expressway links the 23-km distance between Xi'an and Linking cities in Shaanxi province, northwest China.
All these last roafls are expensive. The Shenyang-Dalian expressway, which was constructed In six years, cost 2.2 billion yuan (US$468 million).
The Beljlng-Tiangjln-Tanggu expressway which will open this year costs about US$213 million. It is the first expressway in China funded with World Bank assistance amounting to US$150 million. Part of the loan will go to Import construction materials and equipment.
The average cost of building one kilometre of expressway is about 12 million yuan {US$2.5 million). This Is beyond the financial capability of the central government." says Mr
Zhou.
The central government provides funding only for national defence roads along the borders. Construction of other roads, including expressways, is mainly fundal by local administrations.
This subsidy is collected from a sales tax on new motor vehicles. But that Is not much, with collections amounting to only about 2 billion yuan (US$425.5 million) a year.
To help local administrations cover construction expenses, the central government permits them to charge tolls on expressways they have built.
Thals not small change to Mr Zhou, considering the fact that the designed capacity of expressways fn China is on average 35,000 vehicles a day."
— Depthnews Asia