Airport Expressway (Beijing)
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Airport Expressway (heading towards the airport, July 2004 image) |
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The old and the new: The Airport Expressway Toll Gate at Xiaotianzhu (August 2004 image) |
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Old Airport Road (August 2004 image) |
The
Airport Expressway (机场高速公路,
Hanyu Pinyin: Jīchǎng Gāosù Gōnglù) is an
expressway in
Beijing,
China, which links central Beijing to the
Beijing Capital International Airport. It is just under 20 km in length.
Opened in
1993, the expressway links
Sanyuanqiao on the northeastern
3rd Ring Road to Beijing Airport.
The Airport Expressway is named after Beijing Airport.
The Airport Expressway runs entirely within the confines of the municipality of Beijing.
Basic Route: Beijing (
Sanyuanqiao -
Siyuan -
Beigao -
Xiaotianzu -
Beijing Capital International Airport)
Status: The entire expressway is complete.
The expressway opened on
September 14,
1993, following a year-long construction effort which began on
July 2,
1992. Previously, all traffic used the old Airport Road, which was tested to the limit in the early
1990s.
This expressway has slashed driving time to the airport from the previous hour (using the old airport road) to just around 15 minutes. It is convenient and traffic is usually smooth.
Extension into the 2nd Ring Road
A 2.5 km stretch of semi-expressway is under construction, linking
Sanyuanqiao on the
3rd Ring Road to the area between
Dongzhimen and
Xiaojieqiao on the
2nd Ring Road. Construction started in
2004; it is likely to be finished in mid- to late-
2005.
Northern Approach Route
Further approach routes to the airport, most, if not all of them in the form of expressways, are on the drawing board. One of these has actually begun work, connecting neighbouring
Jingcheng Expressway with the northern part of the airport, to form a northern approach route. This is the
Northern Airport Line (
Hanyu Pinyin: Jichang Beixian) and will be completed between
2005 and
2006.
It will commence at Lutong, just over halfway between the
5th Ring Road and the
6th Ring Road, on the
Jingcheng Expressway. It will be a short 11 kilometres and connect with a projected airport ring road. This is expected to be completed in
2005.
The Northern Approach Route is important because the current Airport Expressway is beginning to fill up with traffic. While traffic jams on the expressway are infrequent, the frequent usage of the expressway and the incessant influx of visitors and users of the airport are factors influencing the construction of the Northern Approach Route. At rare times, the total vehicle flow on the Airport Expressway overwhelms the maximum projected limit.
In future, drivers can choose between the central approach route (
Sanyuanqiao - Northeastern
4th Ring Road at
Siyuan -
Dashanzi -
Xiaotianzu - Beijing Airport) or the northern approach route (
Taiyanggong on the Northeastern
3rd Ring Road -
Jingcheng Expressway through Lutong - Beijing Airport).
2nd Airport Expressway
Also mentioned is the concept of a wholly new, second airport expressway, which would start from eastern Beijing. A second airport expressway will stretch 23 kilometres.
This second airport expressway would run between the eastern
5th Ring Road and the eastern
6th Ring Road, starting up north from the airport all the way through to the second Jingjin Expressway (bound for Tianjin).
Speed Limit
Leftmost lane: minimum 100 km/h, maximum 120 km/h. Other lanes: minimum 60 - 80 km/h, maximum 100 km/h.
Tolls
CNY 0.5/km as of
5th Ring Road intersection for sections south of the toll gate. Entire stretch from
Sanyuanqiao to
Beijing Capital International Airport costs CNY 10 (price for small passenger cars).
Note: For frequent users, a sensor-style Express Transit Card is available.
Lanes
6 lanes (3 up, 3 down) uniformly.
Surface Conditions
Good.
Traffic
Good during the day. Mild traffic jams during rush hour, mostly in the southern section of the road near Beijing.
NE
3rd Ring Road, NE
4th Ring Road,
Dashanzi, NE
5th Ring Road,
Beigao,
Xiaotianzu,
Beijing Capital International AirportNone on the expressway. The
Weigou exit has a gas station close to it (on the way back to
Beijing).
Ring Roads of Beijing: Connects with the NE
3rd Ring Road at
Sanyuanqiao, the NE
4th Ring Road at
Siyuan, and the NE
5th Ring Road at Wuyuan Bridge.
Listed are exits heading northeast as of Beijing (3rd Ring Road)
Symbols: ↗ = exit, ⇆ = main interchange; ' = only when heading for the airport; ← = only when heading for central Beijing; ↘ = exit only; ¥ = central toll gate
*
⇆ 1: (↘ if ←)
(Interchange with 4th Ring Road) 4th Ring Road (Sihuanlu)
*
↗ 2: Dashanzi*
⇆ 3: (↘ if ←)
(Interchange with 5th Ring Road) 5th Ring Road
*
⇆ 4: (Interchange with China National Highway 101) Beigao,
Shunyi*
↗ 5: Weigou*
↗ 6: Yanglin Road*
¥ Xiaotianzu*
↗ 7: (')
Xiaotianzu Road / (←)
Shunyi,
Tongzhou*
↗ (', ↘) South Apron
*
Beijing Capital International Airport
