Sanlitun Bar Street, Road Get Ready for New Look
A few months following the closure of Sanlitun Bar Street, the city looks to be putting plans for turning the strip – as well as the sidewalks stretching from all the way to – into a more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly path.
As we wrote following the closure of Sanlitun Bar Street on Jan 31, reports by local media released on that date referenced plans to incorporate the street and the aforementioned swath of roadway into Beijing’s 慢行系统 mànxíng xìtǒng, which translates to something along the lines of a "slow traffic system."
Scaffolding is being set up along the old Sanlitun Bar Street
Even though the initial plans stated these widened pathways and bike lanes were expected to reach from to Liangmahe Nanlu, it appears construction is only underway from Gongti Nanlu northward. Be that as it may, everything seems to be shaping up nicely.
Work that has been mostly completed close to Gongti Nanlu sees sidewalks widened to make for more space for people to stroll as well as more areas for as of yet to be planted greenery.
Sections of the widened sidewalk close to Gongti South Road area already nearing completion
What’s more, the bike lane and sidewalk have been separated, with the widened sidewalk on the right hand side of the road moving north and the bike path on the left hand side. It should be worth noting that a sidewalk is still present where the bike path runs as well.
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Moving northbound, the entirety of Sanlitun Bar Street has been cordoned off, and construction workers are setting up scaffolding before demolition of the strip begins. While it's still unclear what will become of this section of the path, city officials have said they intend to widen the sidewalks here and allow new businesses to open up shop.
Widened bike lanes are also taking shape as well
From the former bar street onwards, not much looks to be being done until the road divides at , but considering Taikooli, Nali Patio, and a number of preexisting buildings reach closer to the street in this area, it’s not too surprising.
Crossing the street and continuing north along past Dongzhimen Waidajie, construction is at various stages outside all the embassy buildings, and in some parts it appears as if the walkway won’t be as wide as it is south of Dongzhimen Waidajie.
Other elements are being placed along the redesigned sidewalks as well, like these special Sanlitun tree grates
All things considered, things conclude right at the , making for what could be a nice stroll from Sanlitun to the waterfront, or vice versa, when everything is complete.
What are your thoughts on the redevelopment of Sanlitun Lu? Let us know in the comments!
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Plans for Sanlitun Bar Street Point to "Slow City" Shift for Beijing
Images: Vincent R. Vinci
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