The past couple of years, it was mainly new apartments that were being built here, but these days the focus in China is on roads. Here and there, you can still see a large complex of different skyscrapers being built. Right next to the buildings that were built a few years ago and are standing empty now.
But we don’t see it as much as before. It kind of stagnated because of the high vacancy rates and consequent price decreases. But the number of roads is increasing. At least, here in Yunnan. And just like they did with the apartments, they’re really banging out the roads too. Everything has to make way for it.
New roads sometimes are so close to buildings, that literally half of the apartment block is sawn off to make space for them. These roads then end up running a metre or two away from the remaining part of the building. Exposing the exact layout of the original apartment.
The word ‘highway’ also gets a whole new meaning here. Literally high. People want the new motorways through the mountains to be as level as possible. So, the mountains are excavated and the valleys are equipped with immensely high concrete supports supporting the motorways up above.
Motorways often follow an existing road quite closely. The old road winds through the mountains, whereas the new motorway is sometimes over, next to or under it. Many motorways are raised: five, ten, or even fifty metres above the ground. They sometimes run through a lake and any villages that are in the way have to go.
The new motorways are built in no time. Different groups each build a part. That doesn’t always work out of course. It happens that there’s half a metre difference in height at the point where two different parts have to be connected. In which case they just demolish it again.
The fact that quite a few things tend to go wrong makes that the new motorways are nice and quiet during the first year. People are initially a bit apprehensive and first want to see if the four or five level junctions will hold up. If nothing has collapsed after a year, it will get busier, until the new roads get just as blocked as the old ones.
It’s clear that the new roads and motorways are needed, though. There’s a lot of congestion; especially going in and out of the cities. But that’s nothing new. Name a country that isn’t struggling with traffic jams. So even in that field, China is rapidly being put on the map.
Cok Harteveld
General manager Van den Berg Roses, China
