2nd Ring Road
The 2nd Ring Road (
The ring road can be divided into two parts: the original ring road (the southern section of which is now excluded from the current ring road), and the newly extended ring road. This article only covers the current (new) 2nd Ring Road.[1][2][3][4]
History and geography
The 2nd Ring Road runs close to where
Although it was suggested that the 2nd Ring Road was built over the old city walls, by comparing current city maps with old maps of Beijing, it has been found this is not exactly true. The road instead mostly follows the former moat that surrounded the city wall; in places, the moat survives as a canal. The 2nd ring road was completed in the 1980s.
All traffic lights were removed in the 1990s, and several new overpasses were built.
In 2001, the 2nd Ring Road was overhauled. It was fully re-surfaced, and greenery substantially increased.
Much of
The Old 2nd Ring Road
The former "old 2nd Ring Road" has an elliptical shape. Its northwest corner is at
The New 2nd Ring Road
The new road is simply an extension of the western and eastern parts of the original 2nd Ring Road. It extends beyond Dongbianmen and Xibianmen, thus reaching Zuo'anmen to the southeast and the Caihuying overpass complex in the southwest. The extensions were known for a while as the external 2nd Ring Road, though this term is becoming more and more unpopular.
Gates and the 2nd Ring Road
The 2nd Ring Road passes the sites of many of the old city gates around Beijing. These include:
- Deshengmen
- Andingmen
- Dongzhimen
- Chaoyangmen
- Guangqumen
- Zuo'anmen
- Yongdingmen
- You'anmen
- Guang'anmen
- Fuchengmen
- Xizhimen
Only Deshengmen and Yongdingmen (rebuilt 2005) still stand; the others were demolished in the 1950s and 1960s.
Gates through which the former Inner 2nd Ring Road ("Metro Road") passes are:
Only Zhengyangmen is still standing today.
Road conditions
Surface conditions
After completion in the 1980s, the design of the 2nd Ring Road was sufficient for its traffic load. However, as utilization increased in the late 20th century, the road surface rapidly deteriorated. Prior to 2001, the road gave motorists an uncomfortable bumpy ride. Since the total resurfacing, driving on the road has been much more pleasant. Partial resurfacing work is ongoing.
Central location
Located in the heart of the city, the 2nd Ring Road is also a transportation
Traffic jams
Traffic jams on the 2nd Ring Road have become a part of daily life. Nevertheless, their intensity varies.
The northern stretch between Andingmen and Xiaojie Bridge is often jammed, particularly in the lead to the turn-off for the Airport Expressway. The same goes for part of the road around Deshengmen and all of the western side. The entire eastern side is frequently jammed due to its proximity to the Beijing CBD.
Less frequently jammed traffic can be found on the southern stretch of the 2nd Ring Road from Caihuying through Zuo'anmen.
While the 2nd Ring Road is often congested, unlike the 3rd Ring Road, it is never gridlocked. The 3rd Ring Road uses diamond interchanges, which includes traffic lights. These interchanges back up traffic and causes gridlock. The 2nd Ring Road instead employs mostly cloverleaf interchanges, which allows traffic to flow freely and without traffic lights, therefore eliminating traffic back up.
Road condition monitors
Electronic message signs (or screens) are placed throughout the 2nd Ring Road, displaying information about current traffic. The information is only given in simplified Chinese characters at present.
The western part of the 2nd Ring Road has "smart" electronic screens, automatically updated every five minutes. Traffic conditions are continuously monitored. Maps are also shown on them to notify drivers of road conditions at various parts of the road, including
.Although only Chinese characters are used, the characters themselves are coloured red, yellow or green according to the type of message. This and the map displays make it somewhat easier for non-Chinese speakers to understand.
Links to expressways
The
It is possible to get to the
List of exits
This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table.(November 2021) |
[Heading in a clockwise direction as of the Northern 2nd Ring Road]
Notes:
- Exits present only in a clockwise direction are indicated by the symbol ↩; anticlockwise only, ↪; not yet open, ✕
- Exit sign symbols: ↗ = exit (✕ = unopened)
North 2nd Ring Road
- ↗ Xinjiekou(Jishuitan Bridge)
- ↗ Madian -- connects to direct road to Badaling Expressway (Deshengmen Bridge)
- ↗ Anhua Bridge (GulouBridge, Zhonglou North Bridge)
- ↗ Jiangzhaikou (Andingmen Bridge)
- ↗ YonghegongBridge)
- ↗ Hepingli (Xiaojie Bridge)
- ↗ Airport Expressway
East 2nd Ring Road
- ↗ Nongzhan Bridge, Beixinqiao (Dongzhimen Bridge)
- ↗ DongsishitiaoBridge)
- ↗ Dongdaqiao (ChaoyangmenBridge)
- ↗ Dongdan, Guomao Bridge (Jianguomen Bridge)
- ↗ (Dongbianmen Bridge)
- ↗ (GuangqumenBridge)
- ↗ Temple of Heaven (Guangming Bridge)
South 2nd Ring Road
- ↗ (Zuo'anmen Bridge)
- ↗ Puhuangyu/YutingBridge)
- ↗ (Jingtai Bridge)
- ↗ (Yongdingmen Bridge)
- ↗ (Taoran Bridge)
- ↗ (KaiyangBridge)
- ↗ (You'anmen Bridge)
- ↗ Jingkai Expressway, Lize Bridge (CaihuyingBridge)
West 2nd Ring Road
- ↗ (Baizhifang Bridge)
- ↗ (Guang'anmen Bridge)
- ↗ (Tianningsi Bridge, Xibianmen Bridge)
- ↗ (Fuxingmen Bridge)
- ↗ (YuetanNorth Bridge)
- ↗ (Fuchengmen Bridge)
- ↗ (Guanyuan Bridge)
- ↗ (Xizhimen Bridge)
References
- ^ "BEIJING RING ROADS". beijingwelcome.com. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Beijing Tour Guide: Ring Roads". greatwalladventure.com. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "2nd Ring Road (Beijing)". famouschinese.com. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ ZHU, WEIJING. "ANOTHER RING FOR BEIJING TO WEAR". theworldofchinese.com. Retrieved 5 February 2014.