China's 9-day traffic jam stretches 62 miles
China has embarked in recent years on a huge expansion of its national road system but soaring traffic periodically overwhelms the grid.
By Agence France-PresseMon, Aug 23 2010 at 9:18 AM EST
STUCK: The jam between Beijing and Jining gave birth to a mini-economy with local merchants capitalizing on the stranded drivers' predicament by selling them water and food at inflated prices. (Photo: ZUMA Press)
Thousands of vehicles were bogged down Monday in a more than 62-mile traffic jam leading to Beijing that has lasted nine days and highlights China's growing road congestion woes.
The Beijing-Tibet expressway slowed to a crawl on Aug. 14 due to a spike in traffic by cargo-bearing heavy trucks heading to the capital, and compounded by road maintenance work that began five days later, the Global Times said.
The state-run newspaper said the jam between Beijing and Jining city had given birth to a mini-economy with local merchants capitalizing on the stranded drivers' predicament by selling them water and food at inflated prices.
That stretch of highway linking Beijing with the northern province of Hebei and the Inner Mongolia region has become increasingly prone to massive jams as the capital of more than 20 million people sucks in huge shipments of goods.
Traffic slowed to a snail's pace in June and July for nearly a month, according to earlier press reports.
The latest clog has been worsened by the road improvement project, made necessary by highway damage caused by a steady increase in cargo traffic, the Global Times said.
China has embarked in recent years on a huge expansion of its national road system but soaring traffic periodically overwhelms the grid.
The congestion was expected to last into mid-September as the road project will not be finished until then, the newspaper said.
The roadway is a major artery for the supply of produce, coal and other goods to Beijing.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
Comments
Uncle B
Today 15:48 PM
Watch as China surmounts this rubber-wheeled conundrum by pole-vaulting it with nuclear/electricity sourced electric super-trains with computer controlled traffic to avoid delays!
America was persuaded in the 30's to rip up rails by corporatists as big as GM! They foolishly did so for the greater profits of the uncaring corporatists, and have yet to pay the full price for letting rail development progress!
China will build more rail and less road-ways than America did! After all,.... More
