G59 expressway opens new north-south route

A 2,803-kilometer expressway linking Hohhot in northern China with the southern coastal city of Beihai fully opened on Sunday, providing a new north-south route to ease traffic pressure on existing highways, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The final section — a 57.4-km stretch between Zhangjiajie and Gaoping in Hunan province — began trial operations at midnight on Nov 1, completing the G59 Hohhot-Beihai Expressway.

Starting in Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and ending in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the expressway passes through six provincial-level regions, including Shanxi, Henan, Hubei and Hunan.

The completed route is expected to divert traffic from other major north-south expressways, including those linking Baotou with Maoming, Ereenhot with Guangzhou, and Xuchang with Guangzhou, the ministry said.

It will also provide a new transport corridor connecting Central China with the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone and the coast of western Guangdong province. The route is expected to facilitate the movement of people and goods between inland regions and the southern coast, while promoting economic exchanges with Southeast Asia.

The G59 is one of 11 major north-south routes in China's national expressway network. Under a national road network plan released in 2022, the network's main framework also comprises seven routes radiating from Beijing and 18 east-west routes, supplemented by ring roads and connecting routes.

Vice-Minister of Transport Xu Chengguang said gaps remained in major transport corridors and that the efficiency of interregional transport needed to be improved.

"The aim is to improve the spatial layout, open up the main arteries of economic circulation and promote balanced regional development," he said.

The newly opened section crosses the Wuling Mountains, connecting Yongding district in Zhangjiajie with Gaoping in Yuanling county, Huaihua. It has two lanes in each direction, a design speed of 100 km per hour and six interchanges.

Two major engineering challenges were the Dongtingxi Yuanshui Grand Bridge and the Yuanguping Tunnel, both of which were crucial to completing the section.

The 1,707-meter-long bridge has an 800-meter main suspension span. Construction teams had to overcome challenges posed by deep reservoir waters and difficult terrain while meeting environmental protection requirements.

The Yuanguping Tunnel, the longest tunnel on the Hunan section of the expressway, consists of two bores measuring 5,151 meters and 5,127 meters, respectively. Construction teams faced complex geological conditions, including extensive karst formations, faults and water-bearing rock under high pressure.

The opening further expands the world's largest expressway network, which had reached 199,400 km by the end of 2025, according to the ministry.

"China has made breakthroughs in developing its integrated transport system and taken solid steps toward becoming a transport powerhouse," Transport Minister Liu Wei said.

He also pledged further efforts to make travel "safer and smoother".

luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn