Guangshen Expressway

Introduction

Guangshen Expressway is the major expressway connecting Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. The total investment is about 772 million renminbi. It started construction in May 1987, and completed on December 2, 1993. First commissioned test on July 18, 1994, and the official operation on July 1, 1997.

Guangshen Yanjiang Expressway is the Second Expressway between Guangzhou-Shenzhen. The construction project has partially completed in the Guangzhou and Dongguan territory in January 2012 and started open to traffic. Guangshen Yanjiang Expressway is the trunk of the Shenzhen construction project, that is used to connect the Shenzhen Western Corridor, western port, airport, and the west of Dongguan city. Also, this is the major Expressway of Hong Kong to Shenzhen, and Dongguan to Guangzhou. Guangshen Yanjiang Expressway has a total length of 97 km, and an initial estimates investment amount up to 15 billion Yuan. The government expect the operation to finish in the end of 2012. When the construction completes, commuting from Guangzhou to Shenzhen will only take 1 hour, and Guangzhou to Hong Kong will take 1.5 hours.

Construction Background

The Guangshen expressway construction is cooperated by the highway construction company of Guangdong provincial, the development of China (Highway), and the Hong Kong Hopewell Limited. They also set up a company called Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Zhuhai Highway Limited to invest and manage the Guangshen Expressway. The Guangshen expressway construction and the Hong Kong Hopewell has signed a corporation agreement named, “ The letter of intent of construction for Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Gongbei Highway” in June 1982. All stages of the research and infrastructure program have been approved in April, 1988. The business registration and tax registration were set up in May, 1988. The board of directors of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Zhuhai Expressway co., Ltd. used more than a year to complete the construction drawing design, pre-construction preparations such as requisition in 1989 winter.

In March 1990, the project started with new financing support from the Hong Kong Branch of Bank of China and Hong Kong Bank with the effort from both parties. Meanwhile, the international consortium has successfully formed and signs a US $ 800 million project financing mortgage loan agreement in March 1991 to launch the project. In February, 1991, the finance mortgage loan files has been approval by relevant departments in China and the Guangdong Provincial Committee. The main construction and bridge project of Guangshen Expressway was completed and plan to make a temporarily test run in July 1994.

The whole Guangshen Expressway project cost a total of 1.34 billion dollars and 704 million Yuan (including Huanggang port construction, and checkpoints construction of Shenzhen SEZ and construction period interest). The Hong Kong Hopewell Ltd. and China Development (Highway) limited provides registered funds of 90 million dollars and also provides shareholders loan 450 million dollars. The Hong Kong Hopewell Ltd. and China Development (Highway) limited are the primary borrower of this mortgage and loaned to the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Zhuhai Highway Limited under equivalent terms. The Chinese bank also provided a mortgage for requisitions of 7.04 billion dollars.

Supporting facilities

Guangshen Expressway has a full length of 122.8 km, and a speed limit of 120 km/h, and a six lane line design for both direction, street lighting system along Guangzhou, Huocun, Luogang, Xintang, and Machong, Wangniudun, Daojiao, Shigu, Houjie, Taiping, Wudianmei, Changan, Xinqiao, Fuyong, Hezhou, Baoan, Nantou, Futian and the Huanggang Port, and 20 toll stations with the interoperability type overpass; Also, the Tongle checkpoints will build near the Nantou toll stations;

Meanwhile, every Hong Kong bus transporting commute to Hong Kong and Guangzhou must go by Guangshen Expressway.

There are a great number of rivers and Soft Land in the eastern of the Pearl River Delta. In order to improve longitudinal slope and avoid soft ground sinking hidden danger, Viaduct will be adopted at rivers intensive place and thickness of mollisol more than 12 meters.

The whole viaduct has a length of 45.041 km in total. The seven navigable rivers of Dongjiang estuary and soft ground segment bridge have a length of 19.64 km.

The Guangshen Expressway use China’s road technical as standard, and reference foreign high-speed standard to planning and design, therefore the Guangshan Expressway main technical indicators meet or exceed the requirements of existing domestic standards.

Hub along the Highway

The Huangcun hub: Guangzhou Beltway
The Huocun hub: Northern second Beltway
The Xinlian hub: ChangHu Expressway (Extension)
The Taipin Hub: Humen Expressway
The Wudianmei hub: ChangHu Expressway
The Hezhou hub: Jihe Expressway

The city along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Highway all has well-developed economy. There are 21 towns, city, and development zones on both sides of the expressway within five kilometers and connect the Guangzhou beltway and Humen Bridge Expressway. There are 16 interchanges, 20 toll stations, 127 entrance lines, and 300 exit lines in Guangshen Expressway.

Fee Issue

Guangshen Expressway through Guangzhou and Shenzhen has a population of two million people in the city. Another city between Guangzhou and Shengzhen, which is Dongguan, is known as the "world factory", therefore the volume of traffic on Guangshen Expressway was huge. It is known as "China's most profitable highway“ and traffic jams are very common. June 1, 2012, the charge for Guangshen Expressway gets decrease partly.

A class of car (less than 2.5 tons, excluding 2.5 tons)
Second-class cars (2.5 tons -8 tons, excluding 8 tons)
Three types of cars (8 tons -12 tons, excluding 12 tons)
Four categories of vehicles (over 12 tons)

Original standard

First class vehicle (less than 2.5 tons): 70 Yuan;
Second class vehicle (2.5 tons-8 tons): 145 Yuan;
Third class vehicle (8 tons-12 tons): 220 Yuan
Fourth class vehicle (over 12 tons): 275 Yuan
Fifth class vehicle: 300 Yuan

After adjusted standard

First class vehicle (less than 2.5 tons): 74 Yuan;
Second class vehicle (2.5 tons-8 tons): 111 Yuan;
Third class vehicle (8 tons-12 tons): 221 Yuan
Fourth class vehicle (over 12 tons): 258 Yuan
Fifth class vehicle: 300 Yuan

Last adjusted standard:

First class vehicle (less than 2.5 tons): 70 Yuan;
Second class vehicle (2.5 tons-8 tons): 111 Yuan;
Third class vehicle (8 tons-12 tons): 221 Yuan
Fourth class vehicle (over 12 tons): 258 Yuan
Fifth class vehicle: 300 Yuan

Guangshen Expressway

On January 27, 2013, The Congress of the Guangdong Provincial proposed to cancel the GSE fees, as they think the charge on the highway for many years have been unreasonable. A lot of representatives speak up and questioned from 2003 to December 2012. Eventually, the Guangshen expressway finally reduced 2 dollars. Lin Hui, the Shenzhen delegation, regret on the price reduction. Considering the Guangshen Expressway poor road conditions, prevailing slowly, and the debt longed paid. Therefore, she sent the Guangshen a nickname - "Fee adamancy."

"To be honest, all of the citizens of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, have a headache for the Guangshen Expressway. Other than the off peak hour after 23:00, the rest of the time is basically packed with traffic." Lin Hui said, on the two Conferences (the National People's Congress and the Chinese Political Consultative Conference), they agreed to the necessity to strengthen the cooperation between Guangzhou city and Shenzhen city. Although they are only 150 kilometers apart, people have to spend 2–3 hours on the highway. Delegation representatives of Shenzhen city started to mention to cut the price in 2003. The representative of Shenzhen started to request a cut every year after 2007.

Linhui recalls that in mid-2012, the charges for the highway have been relief partly, all of the price decreased, excepted for first class vehicle. Price for First class vehicle increased surprisingly. However, the price increase does not reduce the first class traffic, but rather increased to 70 percent of the total volume on Guangshen Expressway. This is more frustrating for the locals. In the end, the price of first class vehicles reduced to 70 Yuan again in December last year.

With 10 years of petition, the price only cut down by 2 Yuan, and with more wrecked roads. " She said that this year, she has no plans to propose a price reduction motion on GSE, since it is not effective by going down by 2 Yuan. This is too frustrating," In fact, I do not want to give them pressure, but how can we be satisfy for this kind of poor road condition? “