Guangshen Expressway to be expanded with more lanes

Motorists traveling regularly between Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou may soon see relief from chronic congestion on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway, one of the busiest highways in China.

The expressway is undergoing a major expansion project that will widen it from the current six lanes to between 10 and 14 lanes in total, depending on the section.

Workers remove the first old bridge beam from the D8 viaduct on the Guangzhou-Dongguan section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway. Courtesy of Guangdong Provincial Highway Construction Co.

According to Guangdong's transportation authority, the first old bridge beam of the D8 viaduct on the Guangzhou-Dongguan section was recently removed, marking the formal start of the main demolition phase for the existing bridge structures. The D8 viaduct on the Guangzhou-Dongguan section crosses several major urban roads, including Xintang Boulevard and Xizhou Boulevard.

Separately, welding and coating platforms have been installed on both the southbound and northbound sections of the elevated bridge between Taiping and Wudianmei. The platforms will provide the necessary conditions for subsequent steel box-girder welding and anti-corrosion coating work.

Workers install welding and coating platforms on the upper-level bridge between Taiping and Wudianmei. Courtesy of Guangdong Provincial Highway Construction Co.

The Guangshen Expressway forms an important part of China’s national expressway network, linking the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, or G4, with the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway, or G15. Often described as the “golden corridor” of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), it is a crucial transport route connecting the region’s major cities.

The reconstruction project consists of the Guangzhou-Dongguan section and the Shenzhen section.

The Shenzhen section will combine additional traffic lanes with smart highway upgrades. It will run for approximately 4.94 kilometers from the Songgang South Interchange to the Xinqiao Interchange. 

The section will be expanded from six lanes to 10 lanes in total, with a standard width of 52.5 meters. 

Two interchanges — Songgang South, a hub interchange, and Xinqiao — will also be upgraded. Auxiliary facilities, including service areas and toll stations, will be incorporated into the reconstruction project. The entire section will be upgraded to a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

A rendering shows part of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway expansion project. Courtesy of Dayoo.com.

The Guangzhou-Dongguan section begins at the Huangcun Interchange in Guangzhou and ends near the Dongbao River Bridge in Dongguan, covering approximately 71 kilometers. Once completed, the project will expand the existing six-lane highway to between 10 and 14 lanes, helping to ease traffic congestion and improve travel efficiency across the GBA.