Revamp of Chang'an Ave kicks off

By Lan Tian (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-21 10:29

Beijing municipal government kicked off a five-month renovation of Chang'an Avenue on Friday to get the city's main thoroughfare ready for the grand parade to mark New China's 60th anniversary on Oct 1.

Vehicles run on west Chang'an Avenue in Beijing, July 20, 2008. [Xinhua]

The main task of the renovation work is to strengthen the road surface to fully upgrade the thoroughfare, which has not undergone major renovation during the past decade.

The repair work, which will take place daily from 11pm to 5am, covers an area of 700,000 sq m stretching from Nanlishi Street to Sihui near Beijing's Central Business District and is to finish prior to Aug 30.

Beijing Traffic Management Bureau has called on motorists to take the nearby Ping'an Avenue, Liangguang Street, Qiansanmen Street and North Tonghuihe Road in the evenings.

It said it would keep the public informed as to what sections of the road would be under construction and suggest alternative routes. Noise and air pollution resulting from the work will be reduced with the use of advanced technology, Liu Xiaoming, director of the Beijing municipal committee of communications, has said.

Meanwhile, the sidewalks along Chang'an Avenue will also be renovated.