Northeastern Urban Road Link, December 2005
Northeastern Urban Road Link construction site, 2004
The Northeastern Urban Road Link (东北城角联络线) is a city express road, providing a direct, rapid link from the northeastern 2nd Ring Road between Xiaojie Bridge and Dongzhimen Bridge through to the Airport Expressway.
Construction began in 2004. The road link's bridge structures were gradually put into place in late 2004 and by mid-2005, more and more of the road link is being completed. The road opened on December 24, 2005.
Traffic will be able to access the Airport Expressway in under 2 minutes (in good traffic), as the road link is a mere 2.5 km in length. Most of the road is in the form of a long viaduct. A speed limit of 80 km/h is being recommended.
Route
- Route: Xiaojie Bridge (Northern 2nd Ring Road) - Sanyuan Bridge (Northeastern 3rd Ring Road)
- Length: 2.5 km
- Construction: Began in July 2004, completed December 2005
- Opened: December 24, 2005
2nd Ring Road
A huge construction site on both sides of the 2nd Ring Road between Xiaojie Bridge and Dongzhimen Bridge heralded the start of the project. The part that is being currently constructed heads northeast. Incomplete parts threaten to tear a side road apart or run close to the part of the 2nd Ring Road near the Russian embassy.
A huge, new pedestrian bridge crossing was built and completed in late January 2005.
Dongzhimen Outer Side Street
The road link ultimately forms part of what used to be Dongzhimen Outer Side Street. To make way for the express road link, a large part of a roadside park and plenty of trees were destroyed in mid-2004. The former, larger roadside park often was the scene morning exercises, especially tai-chi and dancing. The only remains of park life include a poorly-maintained children's playground, which is dangerously close to the road. By August 2005, even the playground is at risk of being torn down; however, the playground was preserved.
3rd Ring Road
Sanyuan Bridge was expected to be altered to accommodate for the new road. Currently, there is no traffic input heading southwest; the only way vehicles can access the road link is by a direct road from the Airport Expressway.
Exits
Symbols: 
= exit (
= closed), 
= main interchange
Xiaojie Bridge → Sanyuan Bridge
| Exit # | English/Pinyin Name (Bridge) | Chinese Name (Bridge) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2nd Ring Road (Xiaojie Bridge) | 二环路 (小街桥) |
|
|
- | - |
|
|
3rd Ring Road (Sanyuan Bridge) | 三环路 (三元桥) |
| Beijing City Express Roads | ||||||||
| ||||||||