60-mile long traffic jam north of Beijing disappears: NBC blogger

NBC NEWS blogger Adrienne Mong took her bicycle in search of China's mega traffic jam and found nothing to report after news of the 60-mile long gridlock north of Beijing had spread from the Wall Street Journal to the four corners of the world.

Nothing out of the ordinary at all, reported Ms Mong cycling along the road where it was supposed to be at its worst. "Certainly not the one dubbed 'China's monster traffic jam' on Twitter and by western media. Not the one that reportedly lasted 10 days, spanned two provinces, stretched over 60 miles, and spawned a local economy," she said.

In the earlier Wall Street Journal story, Beijing traffic officials said that the jam was caused by road upgrades and that it would likely persist until September 17 when they were to be completed and traffic lanes re-opened.

But virtually overnight, said Ms Mong, local authorities had dispersed the congestion - about 120 miles northwest from Beijing - "so by the time we reached the area, all we encountered were the garden-variety traffic jams here and there", she said.

"Everywhere we drove, police manned toll booths, weighing stations, and highway entrance ramps - all part of a massive and successful effort to get rid of the monster traffic jam. So by the time we'd arrived at the 60-mile stretch, there was no sign of an unusual backup," Ms Mong said.

"There were plenty of pockets of congestion, especially anywhere where trucks were being funnelled off the highway onto back roads. And there's still always the possibility a monster traffic jam will re-emerge. The road works are expected to last until mid-September before more," she said.
(Source:www.schednet.com)