Skip to main content

China moves on concrete highway plan

The authorities in China are now acting on plans announced last year to build a proportion of the country's new highway network from concrete. The new 84km highway connecting Xingtai in Hebei and Fenyang in Shanxi will be constructed with a concrete surface. The project is due for completion in mid 2013 and is expected to cost some US$1.37 billion to construct. This development is of note as the country has built most of its most recently constructed highways using asphalt technology.
March 6, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The authorities in China are now acting on plans announced last year to build a proportion of the country's new highway network from concrete. The new 84km highway connecting Xingtai in Hebei and Fenyang in Shanxi will be constructed with a concrete surface. The project is due for completion in mid 2013 and is expected to cost some US$1.37 billion to construct. This development is of note as the country has built most of its most recently constructed highways using asphalt technology. Concrete roads were built in China in the past but earlier generation technologies and construction methods were used and the roadway performance did not meet expectations. Only in the last few years have the Chinese authorities reconsidered the use of concrete road construction techniques, employing modern technology and setting targets to build a percentage of the new highway network from concrete.

Related Content

  • East Africa drives towards road tolling
    March 18, 2016
    Road tolling is increasing in East Africa as the region’s countries expand highway networks - Shem Oirere writes. The drive towards road tolling in East Africa is gaining momentum. Uganda appears to have broken ranks with its neighbours to make huge strides in achieving progress with this innovative road financing plan. Road tolling has hitherto has been held back in East Africa for lack of political goodwill and State bureaucracies. Kenyan government officials have made announcements on planned road tollin
  • Zoomlion’s advanced lifting and concrete pumping technology
    October 14, 2013
    Zoomlion is a world leader in concrete pumping and lifting technology, with an array of highly sophisticated solutions – Mike Woof reports. Compared with other global manufacturers of construction machines, Zoomlion is a comparatively new entrant to the market as the firm is just over 20 years old. However, Zoomlion is now recognised as a world leader in the lifting and concrete pumping markets, developing innovative machines that push the boundaries of technology. The company has grown both organically and
  • A pothole damage breakthrough?
    April 11, 2013
    Academic research by two universities in the same UK city shows that patch repairs on potholes could be far more durable if a few simple techniques were consistently used. Guy Woodford reports. Repairing pothole damage to highways and vehicles across Europe costs responsible authorities and individual motorists hundreds of millions of euros each year. Yet it has cost just €20,204 to make the potentially crucial first step in identifying a method of keeping highways across the continent and beyond pothole fr
  • New methods for non-destructive concrete testing
    August 29, 2017
    How best is it possible to assess the state of concrete in a road pavement, bridge deck or tunnel wall? One of the most reliable ways is to take a core of concrete from the structure to analyse and test in the laboratory. One downside to this method is that doing the test creates weak points in the structure that must then be repaired. Another is that the frequency of such cores cannot be too great – so it is possible that some problem areas will be missed. New technologies from the world of geospatial eng