It is not easy to live in mountainous terrain.
China has a large country with a beautiful landscape. Guizhou is a province in the southwest of China. Its terrain is particularly mountainous. The result has been some remarkable infrastructure with some of the most impressive bridges in the world calling this province home. There are also some amazing roads like the one shown in the video. Although it is high above the landscape, it is still dwarfed in comparison to the green mountains surrounding.
Installing highway exits in mountainous terrain is difficult. Engineers have come up with a creative solution: a “high speed” turnaround unlike any we’ve ever seen. Drivers traveling in China’s Houhau were unable to reach the highway exit. It is only accessible from one side of the road. According to Chinese state media, engineers created a turnaround that connects traffic in one direction.
It was difficult to add an exit from both sides due to the steep terrain. However, the huge turnaround has a speed limit at 40 km/h (25 mi/h). In stunning contrast, the tall concrete pillars and thin ribbon of pavement cut through greenery. It serves a purpose and may help someone who is heading in the wrong way. If the driver fails to make this turn, however, it doesn’t seem like there is any other recourse.
China has seen a rapid increase in expressways, reaching nearly 150,000 km (93,205 mi). This is an average of 10,000 km (6,213 mi) per year to their extensive network. This is more than the US which boasts approximately 95,000 km (59.030 miles) of expressway. This is a significant difference considering that China and the US are roughly the same size. We’ll see even more impressive roads if China continues to expand its expressway network.