(ECNS) - Beijing is picking up the pace in construction of three highways, including its seventh ring road, to further integrate the road system between Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province by 2017.
In order to connect "broken dots" in the regional highway system, Beijing is building the highways at the same time, namely the Beijing-Taipei highway, the Miyun-Zhuozhou highway, and the Beijing-Qinhuangdao highway, according to Beijing Municipal Transport Commissioner Zhou Zhengyu.
The Miyun-Zhuozhou highway, part of Beijing's seventh ring road, will connect the capital with Hebei. The ring road will be connected with 10 expressways leading in all directions across China, acting as a major commodity transport passage.
The highways are expected to eliminate any "broken dots," which mostly appear between low-level provincial roads. Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei aim to improve overall competitiveness, realize coordinated development as a united bloc, and also address pressing issues like population pressure and air pollution.
The Beijing-Taipei highway is a partially completed Chinese expressway that, if fully constructed, would connect Beijing with Taiwan's Taipei city. Construction has already begun on the highway's section in Beijing, with the pace to pick up this year.
Once finished, the 208.3 kilometer-long Beijing-Qinhuangdao highway will further improve road connections with Northeast China.
