Airport Expressway (Beijing)

The Airport Expressway (Chinese: 机场高速公路; pinyin: Jīchǎng Gāosù Gōnglù), officially the S12, is a controlled-access highway in Beijing, China, which links central Beijing to the Beijing Capital International Airport. It is just under 20 km in length.

Airport Expressway
机场高速公路
The Airport Expressway near Tianzhu Toll Plaza in January 2018
Route information
Length19 km (12 mi)
Existed1993–present
Major junctions
Southwest endSanyuan Bridge
Northeast endBeijing Capital International Airport
Highway system
Expressways of Beijing
← Beijing S11→ Beijing S28
Airport Expressway (heading towards the airport, July 2004 image)
The old and the new: The Airport Expressway Toll Gate at Xiaotianzhu (August 2004 image)
Old Airport Road (August 2004 image)

Opened in 1993, the expressway links Sanyuanqiao on the northeastern 3rd Ring Road to Beijing Airport. Another expressway, the 2nd Airport Expressway, was built in 2008 prior to the Beijing Olympics to serve traffic from the city to the airport.

Route

The Airport Expressway runs entirely within the confines of the municipality of Beijing.

Basic Route: Beijing (Sanyuanqiao - Siyuan - Beigao - Xiaotianzu - Beijing Capital International Airport)

Status: The entire expressway is complete.

History

The expressway opened on September 14, 1993, following a year-long construction effort which began on July 2, 1992. Previously, all traffic used the old Airport Road, which was tested to the limit in the early 1990s.

This expressway has slashed driving time to the airport from the previous hour (using the old airport road) to just around 15 minutes. It is convenient and traffic is usually smooth.

Extension into the 2nd Ring Road

A 2.5 km stretch of expressway links Sanyuanqiao on the 3rd Ring Road to the area between Dongzhimen and Xiaojieqiao on the 2nd Ring Road. Construction started in 2004; it was finished in 2006.

Alternate Routes

Further approach routes to the airport were built in the first decade of the 21st Century. The Northern Airport Line (机场北线), completed between 2005 and 2006, connected the Jingcheng Expressway with the northern part of the airport, to form a northern approach route. The route commences at Lutong, just over halfway between the 5th Ring Road and the 6th Ring Road, on the Jingcheng Expressway. In 2008, another route, the 2nd Airport Expressway, was built between the eastern 5th Ring Road and the airport in time for the Beijing Olympics. Both routes have significantly alleviated traffic to the airport from the city proper.

Road Conditions

Speed Limit

Leftmost lane: minimum 100 km/h, maximum 120 km/h. Other lanes: minimum 60 – 80 km/h, maximum 100 km/h.

August 2007. Speed limits signs at the Airport Expressway (Beijing)

Tolls

CNY 0.5/km as of 5th Ring Road intersection for sections south of the toll gate. Entire stretch from Sanyuanqiao to Beijing Capital International Airport costs CNY 5 (price for small passenger cars). As of June 2011, the Airport Express is free of charge into the city, but retains the CNY 5 fare toward the airport.
Note: For frequent users, a sensor-style Express Transit Card is available.

Lanes

6 lanes (3 up, 3 down) uniformly.

Surface Conditions

Good.

Traffic

Good during the day. Mild traffic jams during rush hour, mostly in the southern section of the road near Beijing.

Major Exits

NE 2nd Ring Road, NE 3rd Ring Road, NE 4th Ring Road, Dashanzi, NE 5th Ring Road, Beigao, Xiaotianzu, Beijing Capital International Airport

Service Areas

None on the expressway. The Weigou exit has a gas station close to it (on the way back to Beijing).

Connections

Ring Roads of Beijing: Connects with the NE 2nd Ring Road between Dongzhimen and Xiaojieqiao, NE 3rd Ring Road at Sanyuanqiao, the NE 4th Ring Road at Siyuan, and the NE 5th Ring Road at Wuyuan Bridge.

List of Exits

Listed are exits heading northeast as of Beijing (2nd Ring Road)
Symbols: ↗ = exit, ⇆ = main interchange; → = only when heading for the airport; ← = only when heading for central Beijing; ↘ = exit only; ¥ = central toll gate

See also
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