Beijing has drawn up a plan to build an underground transportation network to solve the increasingly severe traffic blocks. 
 
The plans were discussed at a high-level forum Saturday about underground exploitation and construction technology.

The city has marked out 50 meters underground as the space to build a network of communication lines.

Experts said that the length of the subway covering downtown and suburbs is expected to reach nearly 242 kilometers by 2008.

Building an underground expressway is also a big part of the project. Experts analyzed the cost of constructing underground roads as half that of subways and even cheaper than above ground roads.

These underground roads are designed to have many entrances throughout town and will connect with above ground transportation networks.

Meanwhile, the city intends to build underground malls, entertainment facilities and more underground parking lots as well as design a safety system.

Scholar Qian Qihu said the traffic hold-up will be solved if the city exploits just one third of the underground space.

Statistics indicate that 100 or so intersections in Beijing suffer from traffic jams during rush hour.

The program will be also helpful for protecting cultural areas in the city, some of which in the past have been destroyed for the expansion of roads.
 
(Chinabroadcast.cn June 28, 2004)