The world’s longest motorway, which could stretch from London to Marbella], has been successfully opened to traffic. This immense highway now allows drivers in China to travel straight from Beijing to Urumqi, Xinjiang province’s capital city, using a 1,578 miles (2,540km) expressway.
The opening of the Beijing-Urumqi Expressway took place on Saturday and links six provinces and regions together. The project cost around 17.8 billion yuan (£2bn) to be completed.
Interestingly, the span of this route is even more than the distance from London to Spain’s Costa del Sol in Marbella, which measures at 1,426 miles (2,295km). The new motorway will save drivers a whopping 807 miles (1,300km) compared to other routes previously available.
According to officials, the new road will stimulate business in the Xinjiang area, where the ancient Silk Road trade track joins China to the Middle East. In addition, it offers more channels of communication within the mountainous north regions of China.
The Mirror reports Gao Jianlong, who leads the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, said: “The highway makes the distance between the central government and Xinjiang people shorter.”
He added: “Offering multiple options for cargo transportation, the highway will benefit Xinjiang to realise its future position as a core zone and transportation hub of the Silk Road Economic Belt.”
Ding Yifan, from the Institute of World Development, said: “The project will help reduce the geographical disadvantages that have long inhibited western China’s development, and it puts the region at the forefront of economic development.”
China Daily reports that since 2012, about 25,476 miles (41,000km) of speedy roads are open, and 98 percent of towns and cities with more than 200,000 people can use them.
Not only is China making the world’s longest motorway, but it also has the longest bridge over water.
In June 2011, the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge was opened. It’s a huge bridge that goes 26 miles from Qingdao to Huangdao.
And guess what? The world’s longest bridge is also in China!
It’s the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge for trains, and it’s an amazing 102 miles long.
