2nd Ring Road
From Beijingology
| 2nd Ring Road Er Huan Lu 二环路 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Road Numbering | (None) |
| Grade | City Express Road |
| Length | 32.7 km |
| Route by Districts or Counties | Dongcheng District, Chongwen District, Xuanwu District, Xicheng District |
| Termini | (Ring road) |
| Exits | 38 |
| Speed Limits | 80 km/h (Some stretches are 60 km/h) |
| Gas Stations | |
| Tolls | Free of charge |
| Restrictions on Passage | Pedestrians, non motor-powered vehicles and tricycles are not permitted on the main road. |
| Risk of Heavy Traffic | Especially significant in the stretch between Jishuitan Bridge through to Fuxingmen Bridge, and again from Chaoyangmen Bridge through to Dongbianmen Bridge. |
| Danger Spots | Sharp curves near Dongzhimen North Bridge, around Dongbianmen Bridge, Guangming Bridge - Zuo'anmen Bridge and Tianningsi Bridge - Xibianmen Bridge. |
The second ring road in Beijing (北京二环路; pinyin: Beijing Erhuanlu, often written on signs as the 2nd Ring Road) is Beijing's first ring road and the closest ring road to the city center. It links up with direct connections to the Badaling, Airport, Jingtong and Jingkai Expressways.
Contents |
History
Beijing's second ring road was completed in segments after the city wall was pulled down in the 1950s. Slowly, the ring road began to take its form as overpasses started figuring its way into the ring road beginning with Fuxingmen Bridge in 1974.
By around 1990, when the decision was made to convert the ring road into a traffic light-free express road, bridges had already been built at 16 intersections. The most recent additions were Kaiyang Bridge in 2003, Dongzhimen North Bridge on December 24, 2005 and bridge extensions near Jianguomen and Guangqumen in late 2006 and mid-2007.
The former traffic light-operated crossings at Dongneibeixiaojie Huokou, Guanghua Road (just to name a few), as well as the former Xibianmen Roundabout all became victims of the new express road project. In 1999, the old Xizhimen Bridge (which featured Beijing's tallest suspended roundabout at 5.5 meters) was removed and replaced with Nie Dahua's much-debated work, featuring a massive onramp heading northeast into the northern 2nd Ring Road bound for Jishuitan Bridge, as well as a curious and controversial ban on right turns from Xizhimen Outer Street to the ring road bound for Guanyuan Bridge (except for buses).
Recent Developments
- Current: On the side road of most, if not all, of the 2nd Ring Road, a new "compass guide" is being added to road signs. This is expected to assist new drivers, as well as drivers with navigation difficulties.
- Current: In harmony with a new government policy advocating the usage of public transport, bus lanes have been marked out on several stretches of the main road of the 2nd Ring Road. Most of them replace a former 4th lane opened for all traffic. Bus lanes are in operation from 07:00 through 09:00 and again from 16:00 through 19:00. Outside of these hours, the bus lane may be treated as an additional (as in 4th) lane.
- July 2006: A ramp bridge in the massive Xizhimen Bridge complex underwent repair in early July 2006. Thanks to a massive, far-reaching and effective public awareness campaign, the bridge repair (which involved tearing down an existing bridge and replacing it with a new, pre-built bridge) was able to proceed while traffic continued with little impact. The entire operation took just 56 hours.
- September 2005: Traffic signs were redone on the 2nd Ring Road, with all exits numbered. Out of the total of 38 exits (including planned exits), only exits 6, 13 and 14 are not in operation. Exit number 1 is Xiaojie Bridge. Finally, English on the traffic signs were harmonized with a new Beijing government standard.
Conditions Prior to the Opening
Before the 1950s, the old Beijing city wall was in place -- on pretty much the very site of the present-day ring road. In the early 1990s, the ring road was extended to encompass a new section (Dongbianmen - Zuo'anmen - Caihuying - Xibianmen).
Construction
Construction of the ring road took place following the demolishment of the old city walls. The first overpass, Fuxingmen Bridge, took shape in 1974 and was opened to traffic on October 1 of the same year.
By around 1990, when the decision was made to convert the ring road into a traffic light-free express road, bridges had already been built at Dongzhimen, Dongsishitiao, Chaoyangmen, Jianguomen, Dongbianmen, Guangqumen, Guangming, Zuo'anmen, Puhuangyu, Yongdingmen, Guang'anmen, Fuxingmen, Fuchengmen, Xizhimen, Deshengmen and Andingmen. The most recent additions are Kaiyang Bridge in 2003, Dongzhimen North Bridge on December 24, 2005 and bridge extensions near Jianguomen and Guangqumen.
Completion
In September 1992, the express ring road as we know of today opened to the public.
By September 2002, the entire ring road underwent resurfacing (the stretch around Dongzhimen used to be in especially poor shape). At the same time, new signposts went up, and entrances and exits were optimized. Following the refit, exits and entrances now appear at least 200 meters away from a bridge (to prevent traffic spilling onto the main road at rush hour).
The entire stretch of the 2nd Ring Road is nearing full completion. The latest addition is expected for mid-2007, when two ramp bridges connecting Guangqumen Bridge with Yong'anli Bridge on Tonghuihe North Road will open up.
Connections and Interchanges
Major Bridges
Below is the full list of all bridges on the 2nd Ring Road. Railway and pedestrian bridges are not included. The order is given in clockwise order starting from Xizhimen Bridge.
Northern 2nd Ring Road
- Xizhimen Bridge (northwestern corner)
- Jishuitan Bridge
- Deshengmen Bridge
- Gulou Bridge and Zhonglou North Bridge (joined)
- Andingmen Bridge
- Yonghegong Bridge
- Xiaojie Bridge
- (name not confirmed) Dongzhimen North Bridge (northeastern corner)
Eastern 2nd Ring Road
- (name not confirmed) Dongzhimen North Bridge (northeastern corner)
- Dongzhimen Bridge
- Dongsishitiao Bridge
- Chaoyangmen Bridge
- Jianguomen Bridge
- (name not confirmed) bridge linking with Tonghuihe North Road
- Dongbianmen Bridge
- Guangqumen Bridge
- Guangming Bridge
- Zuo'anmen Bridge (southeastern corner)
Southern 2nd Ring Road
- Zuo'anmen Bridge (southeastern corner)
- Yuting Bridge
- Jingtai Bridge
- Yongdingmen Bridge
- Taoran Bridge
- Kaiyang Bridge
- You'anmen Bridge
- Caihuying Bridge (southwestern corner)
Western 2nd Ring Road
- Caihuying Bridge (southwestern corner)
- Baizhifang Bridge
- Guang'anmen Bridge
- Tianningsi Bridge and Xibianmen Bridge (joined)
- Fuxingmen Bridge
- Yuetan South Bridge and Yuetan North Bridge (joined)
- Fuchengmen Bridge
- Guanyuan Bridge
- Xizhimen Bridge (northwestern corner)
Start of National Highways
All China National Highways start from the 2nd Ring Road:
- National Highway 101: Dongzhimen Bridge
- National Highway 102: Chaoyangmen Bridge
- National Highway 103: Jianguomen Bridge
- National Highway 104: Yongdingmen Bridge
- National Highway 105: Yongdingmen Bridge
- National Highway 106: Caihuying Bridge
- National Highway 107: Guang'anmen Bridge
- National Highway 108: Tianningsi Bridge
- National Highway 109: Fuchengmen Bridge
- National Highway 110: Deshengmen Bridge
- National Highway 111: Dongzhimen Bridge
Traffic Conditions
This ring road lies very close to central Beijing. The second ring road is thus regularly stockpiled with cars, especially around these stretches:
- Jishuitan Bridge - Xizhimen Bridge
- Fuchengmen Bridge - Fuxingmen Bridge
- Guangqumen Bridge - Chaoyangmen Bridge
Traffic Flow
Traffic flow is faster on the main road during lighter traffic hours, with parts of the side road especially fast during rush hour (while the main road is stockpiled with traffic). Traffic on the main road is not controlled by traffic lights, whereas traffic on the side road has been controlled by traffic lights since 2005.
Areas Susceptible to Traffic Jams
These sections are susceptible to traffic jams:
- Susceptible to very serious traffic jams:
- Susceptible to serious traffic jams:
Trivia
13 Minutes on the 2nd Ring Road
In spring 2006, the Chinese language Web started reporting stories of speeders on the 2nd Ring Road. The fastest record holder finished the 32.7 km long ring road in just 13 minutes, averaging speeds topping out at 151 km/h. (The normal speed limit is 80 km/h.) Hence, the record -- "13 Minutes on the 2nd Ring Road" (二环13郎; female drivers: 二环13妹) -- was born.
Reports told of a young boy and girl managing incredible and increasingly dangerous speeds. A few months later, reports of a new record was set -- this time, the ring road was done in a matter of merely 8 minutes (二环8郎). The driver was also reported of doing 315 km/h on a motorbike.
Beijing police had a task on their hands -- to root out speeders. Up went a massive array of automatic speed detection cameras (some even with night vision capabilities built in) designed to root out the next speeder. On February 10, 2006, the police actually stopped two speeding drivers -- dead in their tracks. In the incident, the speeders started out from Zhonglou North Bridge, attempting to complete the trip in a clockwise direction. The speeders beat the police on several occasions, but were finally caught near Xizhimen Bridge after traffic was sealed on the main road of the ring road, causing delays up to 30 minutes and jams up to a full kilometer for ordinary traffic. The offenders included the male holder of the "13 Minutes on the 2nd Ring Road" record; for the offense, the two were sentenced to 7 days in detention and a CNY 500 fine.
Sources and References
- CN: 北京飙车族8分钟跑完二环 骑摩托时速315公里 (北京晨报), March 14, 2006
