Zhangjiakou to build six highways to ease traffic jams

• Source: Global Times
• [17:22 September 09 2010]
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The city of Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province plans to build six new highways in a bid to ease congestion on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, according to the city's transportation authorities.

In addition, two new roads are under construction, with one of them expected to open by the end of this year and the other set to be launched next year. These will also help divert many vehicles from the Beijing-Tibet Expressway.

There has recently been a series of huge traffic jams on the expressway, which is the only highway linking Beijing with the five provinces in Northwest China. The situation meant that about 4,700 trucks were stranded in Zhangjiakou every day, with the number soaring to 7,000 during the worst congestion in early June, according to the Hebei police.

The series of traffic jams has also led to a drop in the number of tourists visiting the city, and scenic spots such as Bashang grassland have seen their profits plummet. The provincial traffic authorities estimate that this summer's economic losses have reached hundreds of millions of yuan.