Yongtaiwen Highway Expansion Program Study

As the main component of National Shenyang-Haikou Expressway, Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou Expressway starts from Panhuo Interchange at Ningbo and Ends at Fenshuiguang, the juncture of Zhejiang and Fujian Province, passing through Yinzhou, Fenghua and Ninghai of Ningbo City, Sanmen, Linghai, Huangyan, Luqiao and Wenling of Taizhou City, Yueqing, Longwan, Ruian, Pingyang and Cangnai of Wenzhou City,. with total length of 367km. The expressway was opened to traffic on December 31 of year 2003 . Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou Expressway is the significant vertical expressway of expressway network in Zhejiang Province, which is described as " Two Verticals, Two Horizontals, Eighteen Connections, Three Ring-roads and Three Thoroughfares", linking with Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, Shangyu-Sanmen Expressway, Jinhua-Lishui-Wenzhou Expressway and Taizhou-Jinyun Expressway. It is also connected to Hangzhou Bay Bridge and Zhuji-Yongjia Expressway through Ningbo City Ring Road and Wenzhou City Ring Road.With the fast increase of traffic volume in Ningbo, Taizhou and Wenzhou prefectures due to development of ports and harbours, harbour industry and citys&towns, the service level of Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou Expressway reduces and traffic jams intensifies. It is essential to conduct research on the capacity expansion scheme of Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou Expressway in order to improve the collecting and distributing highway network for ports and harbors, meet the traffic demands of Ningbo, Taizhou and Wenzhou passage, speed up the construction of oceanic economy and enhance the development of harbour industry .Based on analysis of current situation and development, economic situation and development and traffic conditions of areas along the Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou Expressway, the necessity of capacity expansion of Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou Expressway has been put forward through prediction and distributing of traffic volume in project-affected areas and analysis on traffic adaptability of the expressway. In combination with site investigation, two alternatives are suggested, namely widening the existing road and building a new road. After considerable study and comparison, the alternative of building a new costal expressway is recommended. It is more preferable in matching with oceanic economy plan of Zhejiang Province and industrial plan of Ningbo, Taizhou and Wenzhou prefectures, enhancing the development of ports and harbour industry, improving collecting and distributing highway network for ports and harbours, promoting the interaction of oceanic and land economy.