Key roads put in use for Expo 2019 Beijing

Organizers of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 (Expo 2019 Beijing) have finished transportation preparations ahead of the opening day, and a number of new roads and expressways built for the expo have already opened for traffic.

The expo will open on April 29 and run through Oct. 7, and organizers are expecting no less than 16 million visitors.

Special lanes to be set on the Beijing-Chongli Expressway

According to the organizers, all the key highway projects connecting the expo have been completed. They include the Xingyan Expressway (from the northwest 6th Ring Road to Yanqing district), the plain section of the Yanchong Expressway (from Yanqing district to Chongli), as well as roads within Yanqing district such as Yankang Road, Kangzhang Road, Baikang Road, Dongjiang Road, Yannong Road, etc.

Among them, the Xingyan Expressway and Yanchong Expressway together constitute the Beijing-Chongli Expressway, which will serve Expo 2019 Beijing and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The Xingyan Expressway is about 42.2 kilometers in length. It starts from the northwest 6th Ring Road, passes through Changping district to the north, and ends in Yanqing district. There are eight bridges and five tunnels along the expressway that help to keep it relatively straight and shorten the travel distance from Beijing's urban areas to Yanqing district. In the future, it will connect to the Yanchong Expressway to open another pathway into Beijing.

With the opening of the plain section of the Yanchong Expressway, vehicles from the 6th Ring Road can use it to get on National Highway 110. The expressway is also expected to relieve congestion northwest of Beijing, including the Beijing-Tibet Expressway and the Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway. Meanwhile, it could promote the development of economy and tourism in the less developed areas of Zhangbei.

To increase traffic capacity on special occasions, special lanes connecting the expo will be set up for its opening ceremony, its garden opening day, weekends, summer holidays, and festivals. The special lanes will be open to public transport vehicles, large buses, medium-sized buses, registered vehicles for the expo, road maintenance vehicles, etc.

Public transportation to be strengthened

Visitors will be able to easily and quickly reach the expo using public transportation. Subway Lines 16, 5, 8, 13, and Changping will extend operating hours during the expo. Express buses to the expo can also be found at Zhuxinzhuang Station, Tiantongyuan North Station, and Beianhe Station.

In addition, people in Beijing can take mini trains to Yanqing district. Starting from April 25, the S2 line connecting Beijing to Yanqing will be increased from 10 pairs per day to 16 pairs. At the same time, four free shuttle bus lines will be provided — one from the Yanqing Railway Station and the other three serving the parking lots. Moreover, four regional tourism bus lines and one from the Capital International Airport will also be opened.

More parking lots and smart traffic

More than a dozen parking lots have been built for the expo, providing more than 20,000 parking spaces. After the official opening of the expo, when the parking lots around the expo are close to full capacity, three other parking lots will be opened around the highway exits near the expo park with shuttle buses to the expo.

A "smart traffic" administration system has also been launched for the expo, with video monitoring to direct traffic at major roads and intersections. Visitors traveling by bus can also access any of the 216 smart bus stops and check out bus locations real-time using their cell phones. In addition, Yanqing district has added 120 cars for share, 50 pure-electric taxis, and 500 bicycles to help visitors better enjoy the expo.