Opened in late September 2003, just days before October 1 - China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

's National Day holiday - the Jinji Expressway runs entirely within Tianjin

Tianjin

' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...

, and links Tianjin city in the south with Ji County

Ji County

Ji County, may refer to two counties in the People's Republic of China:* Ji County, Shanxi , of Linfen, Shanxi* Ji County, Tianjin -See also:* Ji * Jixian ; Ji County may be romanised as "Jixian"...

 in the north. Hence the name Tianjin - Ji County - Jinji Expressway. The expressway runs for 104 kilometres.

Roadworks exist for parts of the expressway in summer 2005. Road conditions are slightly deteriorating.

Route

It starts just after the Jinzhonglu exit on the Jingjintang Expressway

Jingjintang Expressway

Opened in September 1993, the Jingjintang Expressway , also known as the Jingtang Expressway, links Beijing via central Tianjin to the Tanggu District in eastern Tianjin...

 and the Tianjin outer ring road, and heads northeast, gradually heading north, eventually crossing the Jingshen Expressway

Jingshen Expressway

The Jingshen Expressway is an expressway in China which links Beijing to Shenyang. It is 658 km in length.It leaves Beijing heading east and is numbered G025...

 at Jinwei (Baodi North).

After this, it heads directly north toward Ji County

Ji County

Ji County, may refer to two counties in the People's Republic of China:* Ji County, Shanxi , of Linfen, Shanxi* Ji County, Tianjin -See also:* Ji * Jixian ; Ji County may be romanised as "Jixian"...

, crossing China National Highway 102

China National Highway 102

China National Highway 102 is a major trunk route in China, which connects Beijing to Harbin, Heilongjiang. In Beijing it is known as Jingha Road for connecting Beijing to Harbin....

, before coming to an end at Bangxi Highway, near Ji County.

The expressway passes through Dongli District, Beichen District

Beichen District

Beichen District was originally a suburban district of Tianjin city. Before June 1992, the district was named Beijiao District which means North Suburb. As the city expanded, it was generally regarded as a new metropolitan area. Hence the change of name.The district occupies approximately 478.5...

, Baodi District

Baodi District

Baodi District is a district of Tianjin, China....

 and Ji County

Ji County

Ji County, may refer to two counties in the People's Republic of China:* Ji County, Shanxi , of Linfen, Shanxi* Ji County, Tianjin -See also:* Ji * Jixian ; Ji County may be romanised as "Jixian"...

.

The northern end is close to portions of the Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...

. This end has been linked up to the Jingping Expressway

Jingping Expressway

The Jingping Expressway is an expressway in Beijing, China, with construction commencing in early 2005.-Construction stages:Construction is expected to follow in early 2005, with a stretch opened by 2006. By 2007, the entire expressway will have been completed in full...

since 2008. The Jinji Expressway therefore forms another (somewhat indirect) passageway from Beijing to Tianjin.

Exits and Service Areas

The expressway has remarkably few exits (the total number is in the single digits) and just one service area. Tolls can get expensive (although prices have recently been slashed). Additional charges apply for vehicles of non-Tianjin licence plates coming into Tianjin, waived only for military and diplomatic vehicles, as well as vehicles on emergency duty.

Speed Limit and Scenery

There is a pretty uniform speed limit of 110 km/h, albeit national legislation raising it to 120 km/h (which is the speed limit it was actually designed for.)

The expressway cuts through a vast area of emptiness. The scenery heading south is that of plains and farmland. Remarkable also are the design of the toll gates, ranging from the fancy to the downright weird.