Published : 2024-10-31

On October 31, 1988, the Shanghai-Jiading Expressway (滬嘉高速公路) was completed and opened to traffic.

As the first fully operational expressway in China, Shanghai-Jiading Expressway is an experimental expressway designed with full interchanges, fully enclosed facilities, and exclusively for automobile use.

Designed for a speed of 120 kilometres per hour, the expressway starts from Qilianshan Road in Shanghai's urban area in the south and ends at the entrance of Jiajian Highway (嘉戩公路) at the South Gate of Jiading county town in the north, with a length of approximately 15.9 kilometres.

If the urban sections at both ends are taken into account, its total length is 20.5 kilometres.

Before the construction of the Shanghai-Jiading Expressway, Shanghai's external highway transportation mainly relied on four national highways.

The only road from the urban area to Jiading was the Huyi Highway (滬宜公路), which had a road width of 7 to 9 metres and had 16 bends below the technical standard of secondary highways.

Various vehicles mixed on the Huyi Highway, causing traffic congestion and frequent accidents. Although the distance between the two places was only more than 20 kilometres, the travel time often exceeded two hours.

To alleviate traffic pressure, the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Bureau proposed two solutions at the time: one was to widen the existing Huyi Highway, and the other was to construct a new expressway. After research by experts, the latter was chosen.

The construction of Shanghai-Jiading Expressway commenced on December 21, 1984, and it was fully operational after 3 years and 10 months.

As an experimental expressway, the Shanghai-Jiading Expressway undertook many scientific research projects, such as soft ground treatment, the use of domestic asphalt, and anti-skid pavement, etc.

Meanwhile, the builders also explored the construction organisation and quality control of expressways during its construction process.