Road Construction to Close 3rd Ring Road This Summer
Commuters looking to take the taxi home after a night out in Sanlitun may be forced to take a roundabout route this summer.
Major road construction began on the East Third Ring Road on yesterday (July 5), shutting it down nightly for road maintenance.
The affected area will begin at Sanyuanqiao West (三元桥西) and stretch 10.86 kilometers southward to Fenzhongsi Bridge East (分钟寺桥东), affecting the entire highway in between Sanyuanqiao Station and Siheli Station on Line 10 of the Beijing Metro.
The majority of construction work is scheduled nightly between midnight and 6am, shutting the highway down at that time.
The local traffic authority expects the construction to be finished by October, said the Beijing Youth Daily, while other reports give a longer estimate, lasting until December.
The road construction may have an impact on people who live or travel to Sanlitun, Guomao, Shuangjing, or Liangmaqiao neighborhoods, to name just a few.
Here's a representation of the affecting area from Google Maps:
And here it is in Chinese:
To circumvent the construction, road traffic will be forced to use the Second or Fourth Ring Road or make their way through the city's sidestreets. Just announced last year, the highly-touted "3.5 Ring Road" has yet to be built.
READ: Ride the Beijing Metro by Swiping Your Phone ... As Long as It's Not an iPhone
The Third Ring Road also happens to be Beijing's most congested road. CCTV reported in 2015 that the speed of the traffic on the north section of the Third Ring Road averaged just 22.6 kilometers per hour.
With no overnight service provided for buses and subways, you may have to get creative in order to avoid using the East Third Ring Road. Here are a couple of north-south streets that may come in handy when trying to navigate a route with your driver:
READ: Mandarin Month: How to Make Friends With Your Taxi Driver (and Avoid Scams)
Dongdaqiao Road (东大桥): Located to the west of the Third Ring Road, this road ends at Jianguomenwai Boulevard to the south, and transforms into Xindong Road in the north before splitting up.
Xidawang Road (西大望路): Located to the east of the Third Ring Road, this road closely follows the north-south axis of Line 14 to the south, but gets cut off by Chaoyang Park to the north.
Images: Bendibao.com, Beijing Youth Report (Weibo)
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