3rd Ring Road (Beijing)

The 3rd Ring Road (simplified Chinese: 北京三环路; traditional Chinese: 北京三環路; pinyin: Sān Huán Lù) is a 48.2-kilometer (30.0 mi)-long city ring road that encircles the city center of Beijing.^[1]^[2]^[3]

When Beijing first became the capital of the People's Republic of China, the road existed only in segments encircling the northern, eastern, and southern parts of the city. At the time, its segments were known as Beihuan (North Ring), Donghuan (East Ring), and Nanhuan (South Ring), respectively. The 3rd Ring Road was finally finished in 1994 with the completion of the western segment. There are 52 flyovers, including Sanyuanqiao, which links it to the Airport Expressway. The speed limit is a uniform 80 km/h.

The ring road runs through the busy CBD section in the east through Panjiayuan and Fenzhongsi, linking up with the Jingjintang Expressway. It continues south toward Muxiyuan and Yuquanying, linking up with the Jingkai Expressway. It then proceeds west, linking up with the Jingshi Expressway before running into the western segment, which is linked with the Wukesong residential area, TV broadcasting centers, and, in the northwest, Zhongguancun IT zone. The northern segment is equally busy, running through Beitaipingzhuang, with links to the Badaling Expressway and the Jingcheng Expressway.

Traffic congestion

The 3rd Ring Road is notorious for its traffic jams. The eastern segment, which runs through Beijing's central business district (CBD), is regularly gridlocked during rush hour. The interchanges of this segment are modified diamond interchanges, consisting of openings of the road barrier on the right that separates the main lanes from the frontage roads. These interchanges can often back up traffic since they cannot easily handle the huge traffic volumes of Beijing. The situation is often worsened by the bus stops that are located right adjacent to the exits.

Location

The 3rd Ring Road is 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) from the 2nd Ring Road and 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from the city center. The 3rd Ring Road goes through mostly residential and some commercial areas (except for the CBD) that were created during Beijing's first wave of rapid expansion.

Surface conditions

Until 2003, the entire 3rd Ring Road was very bumpy, and trips were very unpleasant. Following the renovation of the 2nd Ring Road in 2001, a similar project was conducted in 2003 and the road surface has been much smoother since then.

Beijing Subway

Line 10 of the Beijing Subway has been constructed under the eastern segments of the 3rd Ring Road and was completed in 2008. Line 12 has been constructed under the northern segments of the 3rd Ring Road and was completed in 2024.^[4]

References

^ "西北三环道路大修主体完工". 2016-10-14. 三环路是北京市城区交通主干线，发挥着贯通区域交通、疏解核心区交通流量的重要作用，全长48.2公里。上次大修时间为2003年，距今已13年。
^ "一圈"新三环"10月底亮相". 2018-07-11. 三环路始建于上世纪70年代初期，上世纪90年代经快速化改造后形成环路，途经海淀、朝阳、丰台三区，全长48.2公里，是北京市重要环城快速路，是中心城区交通主动脉之一。
^ "北京全长约48公里的三环路开始全面施工改造". 2002-12-30.
^ ""地下北三环"今起开通：北京地铁12号线设13座换乘站" ["The underground North 3rd Ring Road" opened today: Beijing Subway Line 12, with 13 transfer stations]. 从今天（12月15日）起，地铁12号线（四季青桥—东坝北）开通运营，这条线路因为走向主要沿北三环东西向铺设而被称为"地下北三环"。此次开通四季青桥—东坝北站段，运营里程27.5公里，共设20座车站，均为地下站，其中换乘站13座

[1] "西北三环道路大修主体完工". 2016-10-14. 三环路是北京市城区交通主干线，发挥着贯通区域交通、疏解核心区交通流量的重要作用，全长48.2公里。上次大修时间为2003年，距今已13年。

[2] "一圈"新三环"10月底亮相". 2018-07-11. 三环路始建于上世纪70年代初期，上世纪90年代经快速化改造后形成环路，途经海淀、朝阳、丰台三区，全长48.2公里，是北京市重要环城快速路，是中心城区交通主动脉之一。

[3] "北京全长约48公里的三环路开始全面施工改造". 2002-12-30.

[4] ""地下北三环"今起开通：北京地铁12号线设13座换乘站" ["The underground North 3rd Ring Road" opened today: Beijing Subway Line 12, with 13 transfer stations]. 从今天（12月15日）起，地铁12号线（四季青桥—东坝北）开通运营，这条线路因为走向主要沿北三环东西向铺设而被称为"地下北三环"。此次开通四季青桥—东坝北站段，运营里程27.5公里，共设20座车站，均为地下站，其中换乘站13座

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