5th Ring Road
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/NE_5th_Ring_Road_Mar_2003.jpg/220px-NE_5th_Ring_Road_Mar_2003.jpg)
Beijing's 5th Ring Road (simplified Chinese: 五环路; traditional Chinese: 五環路; pinyin: Wǔ Huán Lù, China Road Numbering: S50 (Beijing) is a ring road encircling the city about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away from the city centre.[1] It takes the form of an expressway and is 98 kilometres (61 mi) in length. Being a ring road, it has no natural start or end point, although the "0 km" mark is found near the northeastern stretch at Laiguangying, at the intersection with the Jingcheng Expressway. The expressway ring road is a provincial-level road in Beijing municipality.
All of Beijing's expressways, except for the Tongyan Expressway, are interlinked with the 5th Ring Road.
Portions of the expressway have a maximum speed limit of 90 km/h, with the remainder imposing a speed limit of 100 km/h. There is a universal minimum speed limit of 50 km/h.
The 5th ring road has three lanes in each direction, for a total of six lanes.
History
The route was originally called the "1st Expressway Ring Road", as it would take the form of an expressway, and therefore become the city's first expressway ring road. However, given the fact that the 2nd Ring Road, 3rd Ring Road and 4th Ring Road were in existence, re-ordering it as a ring road with a number value of 1, especially as it was outside the 4th Ring Road, looked odd. Therefore, it was renamed the 5th Ring Road, after some debate.
Work began soon after and the first portion of the ring road opened in 2001, linking the Badaling Expressway with the Airport Expressway. Further stretches of the road were soon opened. By mid-2003, half of the ring road was open, from the western end connecting the West Chang'an Avenue to the interchange in the southeast with the Jingjintang Expressway.
The ring road was completed in its entirety on November 1, 2003, with the intersections with the Jingshi Expressway and the Jingkai Expressway. Also completed on that same day was the Xiaoyue Tunnel—noticeable for being the only tunnel on any of the Ring Roads of Beijing.
The 5th Ring Road is home to the Shifeng Bridge. This bridge was built and actually had to be rotated after it was built to link the two ends of the southwestern 5th Ring Road together. Underneath the bridge ran several important rail lines that could not be interrupted while the bridge was being built, which made it impossible for the Shifeng Bridge to be built like a normal bridge. It was instead constructed in parts extending the expressway as it went along. The completion of this colossal work accelerated the completion of the entire ring road.
At night, the Shifeng Bridge looks spectacular. It apparently is a trademark bridge of the expressway ring road.
Recent history
By mid-December 2004, a second exit lane was fitted for the Wangjing Science and Technology Park exit (clockwise direction). Previously, traffic used to clog up the entire ring road (at around 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. local time every workday) near that exit, as it is very close to Wangjing. Also, a second exit liaising directly with Wangjing is under construction; it is very close to the Wangjing filling station on the ring road (clockwise direction again).
Tolls
When the 5th Ring Road was completed (and even while segments were already open to the traffic), the expressway became a toll ring road. The charge was 0.5 CNY per kilometre as a minimum for small vehicles (which would equate to just around 6 cents U.S.).
The charge, although small, was exorbitant for many drivers, who shied away from the expressway. Further protests derived from the apparent fact that drivers were being charged the full CNY 5 for just one kilometre of the road, from Yizhuang to the Jingjintang Expressway. Additionally, users of the Badaling Expressway and the Jingkai Expressway, which have toll gates within the 5th Ring Road, moaned about being charged twice – once for the 5th Ring Road, and once again for the expressway connecting the ring road.
Beijingers soon learned to avoid this pricey path at all costs, preferring to sit out hours in jams on the 4th Ring Road and roads more central to Beijing. Thus, the 5th Ring Road became a virtually "wasted" ring expressway. As a result, this expressway was the subject of a heated debate in 2003. It became apparent that the 5th Ring Road was made just for those who could afford both the petrol and the tolls. Meanwhile, it became a kind of an unofficial test track for new drivers, who racked up spectacular (and, strictly speaking, illegal) speeds on the nearly empty expressway.
With Shoufa, the company running the expressway, unwilling to budge, standing firm to its view that the prices were authorised by the local Price Bureau, and with enough disgruntled Beijingers posting on message boards demanding the removal of the tolls, the authorities stepped in at the end of December 2003 and decreed that the road be made free on the first day of 2004. (At the same time, all charges for expressway exits within the confines of the 5th Ring Road were also done away with.) When the tolls were removed, usage of the 5th Ring Road gradually increased. The ring road previously managed with only 10% of its total designed capacity.
The expressway ring road, even without the charges, remains uncrowded today, except for any occurrence of a serious accident.
The sole remaining toll is located at Shangqing Bridge.
Traffic jams
The section from Wufang Bridge to Shangqing Bridge in both directions has a moderate to high risk of traffic jams due to its proximity to important residential districts and tourist destinations, such as Wangjing, Beiyuan, and Yayuncun. This section has, unusually, a much higher risk for congestion than the 4th Ring Road (both directions) during rush hour, despite the section past the Wuyuan Bridge (inner ring direction) having a speed limit of 100 km/h and the expressway being more distant from the city centre.
Bridges on the 5th Ring Road
Note: ↑ denotes an overpass, ↓ an underpass, and ⇆ an interchange bridge with exit.
Northern 5th Ring Road
- ↑ Gongdesi Bridge
- ↑ Hongshan Bridge
- ⇆ Xiaojiayuan Bridge
- ⇆ Xianghongqi Bridge
- ↓ Jianting Bridge
- ↓ Shangqing West Bridge
- ⇆ Shangqing Bridge
- ↑ Lincui Bridge
- ↓ Tianchen Bridge
- ⇆ Yangshan Bridge
- ↓ Beiyuan Bridge
- ↓ Gujiazhuang Bridge
- ⇆ Laiguangying Bridge
- ⇆ Guangshun Bridge
- ↓ Guangze Bridge
- ↑ Wuyuan North Bridge / Beixiaohe Bridge
Eastern 5th Ring Road
- ⇆ Wuyuan Bridge
- ↓ Huantie North Bridge
- ↑ Huantie Bridge
- ⇆ Qikeshu Bridge
- ⇆ Pingfang Bridge
- ↓ Baijialou Bridge
- ↑ Dahuangzhuang Bridge
- ⇆ Yuantong Bridge
- ⇆ Wufang Bridge
- ⇆ Huagong Bridge
- ↑ Xizhihe Bridge
- ⇆ Dayangfang North Bridge
- ⇆ Dayangfang Bridge
Southern 5th Ring Road
- ⇆ Ronghua Bridge
- ⇆ Yizhuang Bridge
- ↑ Jiuzong Bridge
- ↑ Demao Bridge
- ↑ Yinluchi Bridge
- ↓ Tuanhe Bridge
- ↑ Jingxian Bridge
- ↑ Jinxi Bridge
- ↑ Tonghua Bridge
- ⇆ Xihongmen South Bridge
- ⇆ Xinhua Bridge
- ↓ Liying Bridge
- ⇆ Langfa East Bridge
- ↑ Langfa West Bridge
Western 5th Ring Road
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/West_5th_Ring_Rd_clockwise_near_Xiangshan_%2820231210141315%29.jpg/220px-West_5th_Ring_Rd_clockwise_near_Xiangshan_%2820231210141315%29.jpg)
- ⇆ Wanping Bridge
- ↑ Shifeng Bridge
- ↓ Yamenkou Bridge
- ↑ Lugu Bridge
- ⇆ Bajiao Bridge
- ⇆ Jinyuan Bridge
- ↓ Gengcun Bridge
- ↓ Xihuangcun Bridge
- ⇆ Xingshikou Bridge
- ⇆ Minxi Bridge
- ⇆ Xiangquan Bridge
List of exits
Symbols: ↗ = exit (✕ = closed), ⇆ = main interchange; S = service area.
Clockwise direction
Eastern 5th Ring Road
- ↗ 3: Dongba, Qikeshu
- ↗ 4: Yaojiayuan Road
- ⇆ 5: (Interchange with Jingtong Expressway) Jingtong Expressway
- S Guanyingtang West
- ⇆ 6: (Interchange with Jingshen Expressway) Jingshen Expressway
- ↗ 7: Taihu
- S Xiaoyangfang
- ⇆ 10: (Interchange with Jingjintang Expressway) Jingjintang Expressway
Anticlockwise direction
- ⇆ 10: (Interchange with Jingjintang Expressway) Jingjintang Expressway
- ↗ 9: Yizhuang
- S Xiaoyangfang
- ↗ 8: Ciqu, Shibalidian
- S Guanyingtang West
- ⇆ 6: (Interchange with Jingshen Expressway) Jingshen Expressway
- ⇆ 5: (Interchange with Jingtong Expressway) Jingtong Expressway
- ↗ 4: Yaojiayuan Road
- ↗ 3: Dongba, Qikeshu
Cultural references
There is a song circulating on the Chinese internet since the 2010s called the Song of the 5th Ring. The most famous cover of this song was performed by MC HotDog and Yue Yunpeng, used as an interlude of the movie Jian Bing Man.
References
- ^ Lan, Ting; Yu, Ming; Xu, Zhibang; Wu, Yong (2018-01-01). "Temporal and Spatial Variation Characteristics of Catering Facilities Based on POI Data: A Case Study within 5th Ring Road in Beijing". Procedia Computer Science. Recent Advancement in Information and Communication Technology. 131: 1260–1268. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2018.04.343. ISSN 1877-0509.
- v
- t
- e
- 2nd
- 3rd
- 4th
- 5th (S50)
- 6th (G4501)
- Capital Area Loop (G95)
- National Highway 112
![Yuegezhuang overpass](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Yuegezhuang_Overpass.jpg/80px-Yuegezhuang_Overpass.jpg)
(list of sections)
- Shijingshan Road
- Fuxing Road
- Fuxingmen Outer Street
- Fuxingmen Inner Street
- West Chang'an Avenue
- East Chang'an Avenue
- Jianguomen Inner Street
- Jianguomen Outer Street
- Jianguo Road (side) / Jingtong Expressway (main)
(list of sections)
- Linglong Road
- Chegongzhuang West Road
- Chegongzhuang Street
- Ping'anli West Street
- Di'anmen West Street
- Di'anmen East Street
- Zhangzizhong Road
- Dongsi Shitiao
- Gongrentiyuchang North Road
- Nongzhanguan South Road
- Chaoyanggongyuan South Road
- Yaojiayuan Road
- Shigezhuang Road (side) / 2nd Airport Expressway (main)
(list of sections)
- Guang'an Road (side) / G4 Beijing - Hong Kong/Macau Expressway (main)
- Guang'anmen Outer Street
- Guang'anmen Inner Street
- Luomashi Street
- Zhushikou West Street
- Zhushikou East Street
- Guangqumen Inner Street
- Guangqumen Outer Street
- Guangqu Road
(list of sections)
- Beichen Road
- Gulou Outer Street
- Old Gulou Street
- Di'anmen Outer Street
- Di'anmen Inner Street
- (Split into west and east part near Jingshan, Palace Museum and Tian'anmen Square)
- Qianmen Street
- Tianqiao South Street
- Yongdingmen Inner Street
- Yongdingmen Outer Street
- Nanyuan Road
- (Nanyuan Airport to be demolished)
- Nanzhongzhou Road (Provincial Highway S228)
(list of sections)
- Lianshi West Road
- Lianshi East Road
- Lianhuachi West Road
- Lianhuachi East Road
- Xuanwumen West Street
- Xuanwumen East Street
- Qianmen West Street
- Qianmen East Street
- Chongwenmen West Street
- Chongwenmen East Street
- Tonghui River North Road (side) / Tonghui River North Express (main)
(list of sections)
- Zhixin East Road
- Huayuan East Road
- Beitaipingzhuang Road
- Xinjiekou Outer Street
- Xinjiekou North Street
- Xinjiekou South Street
- Xisi North Street
- Xisi South Street
- Xidan North Street
- Xuanwumen Inner Street
- Xuanwumen Outer Street
- Caishikou Street
- Kaiyang Road
- Majiabao West Road
- Huaifang West Road
(list of sections)
- Beiyuan Road
- Huixin West Street
- Yinghuayuan West Street
- Hepingli West Street
- Yonghegong Street
- Dongsi North Street
- Dongsi South Street
- Dongdan North Street
- Chongwenmen Inner Street
- Chongwenmen Outer Street
- Tiantan East Road
- Puhuangyu Road
- Liuxiang Road
- Dexian Road
- G3 Third Beijing-Tianjin Corridor
- Fengti South Road - Lize Road
- G109 - Fushi Road - Fucheng Road - Fuchengmen Outer Street - Fuchengmen Inner Street
- Chaoyangmen Inner Street - Chaoyangmen Outer Street - Chaoyang Road - Tongzhou - Yanjiao Expressway
- Xishiku Street - Deshengmen Inner Street - Deshengmen Outer Street - G6
- Andingmen Inner Street - Andingmen Outer Street - Anding Road - Anli Road - Litang Road
- Caihuying South Road - G45 (To Kaifeng/Guangzhou)
- Xizhimen Outer Road - Xueyuan Road - Xueqing Road
- Zizhuyuan Road - Xingshikou Road
- Wanquanhe Road - Yongfeng Road
- Huilongguan-Shangdi Bicycle Lane (cycleway)
National Expressways | |
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Sections of National Highways |
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Regional expressways in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area |
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Local expressways |
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- G101 Beijing-Liaoning
- G102 Beijing-Harbin-(Fuyuan)
- G103 Beijing-Tanggu(Binhai New Area)
- G104 Beijing-Fuzhou-(Pingtan)
- G105 Beijing-Zhuhai-(Macau)
- G106 Beijing-Guangzhou
- G107 Beijing-Shenzhen-(Hong Kong)
- G108 Beijing-Kunming
- G109 Beijing-Lhasa
- G110 Beijing-Yinchuan-(Qingtongxia)
- G111 Beijing-Jiagedaqi-(Mohe)
- G112 Beijing Ring
- G230 Tonghua-Wuhan
- G234 Xinglong-Yangjiang
- G335 Chengde-Tacheng
- G509 Tongzhou-Jingtang Port