The Shenyang–Haikou Expressway (), designated as G15 and commonly referred to as the Shenhai Expressway () is an expressway in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

that connects the cities of

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

, and Haikou,

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

. When fully complete, it will be in length. One of its oldest portions is the Shenyang–Dalian Expressway, or Shenda Expressway () is a expressway that connects

and

Dalian Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...

, the two largest cities of China's

province. The expressway is complete for the majority of its length except for two major water crossings that have yet to be built. A fixed link across the

Bohai Sea The Bohai Sea ( zh, c=渤海, p=Bó Hǎi, l=Bo Sea) is a gulf/inland sea approximately in area on the east coast of Mainland China. It is the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea, to which it connects via the Bohai Strait. It ...

is required to join the first missing link from

to Yantai. The construction of a

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

was announced in February 2011. Second, a bridge has to be constructed across the Qiongzhou Strait from

Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

. Currently, the southern terminus is Xuwen County, in the city of

Zhanjiang Zhanjiang; Leizhou Min: ''Tchiàm-kōng''; previously Tsamkong or Guangzhouwan, then romanized in English as Kwangchowan or Kwangchow Wan. is a port city on the southwestern panhandle of Guangdong province in South China. The prefecture- ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

, because the fixed link to Haikou,

has not been built yet. Once fully complete, the expressway features many other important crossings over bodies of water. The expressway crosses the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

using the Sutong Bridge, the bridge with the second longest cable-stayed span in the world , connecting

Nantong Nantong is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province, China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth. Nantong is a vital river port bordering Yancheng to the north; Taizhou to the west; Suzhou, Wux ...

and Changshu, a satellite city of

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

, in Jiangsu Province. The expressway also uses the

Hangzhou Bay Bridge Hangzhou Bay Bridge () is a long highway bridge with two separate cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed portions, built across the mouth of Hangzhou Bay in the eastern coastal region of China. It connects the municipalities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in Z ...

between

Jiaxing Jiaxing (), alternately romanized as Kashing, is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province, China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the p ...

and Ningbo, one of the longest trans-oceanic bridges in the world.

Route

The expressway passes through the following major cities:

Liaoning

* Anshan *

* Dalian-Yantai Tunnel is being evaluated, but not constructed. Bohai Train Ferry, which carries freight railway cars, trucks, cars and passengers, is currently used.

Shandong

Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...

* Yantai * Rizhao

Jiangsu

Lianyungang Lianyungang () is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province of China, province, China. It borders Yancheng to its southeast, Huai'an and Suqian to its south, Xuzhou to its southwest, and the province of Shandong to its north. Its ...

* Yancheng *

Shanghai

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, the section of the expressway known as Jiajin Expressway enters the city in Jiading District. It passes to the west of the city centre of Jiading, where a multi-level stack interchange connects it with the northern section of the G1501 Shanghai Ring Expressway, before continuing south into Qingpu District. In Qingpu District, it connects with the concurrent G2 Beijing–Shanghai and G42 Shanghai–Chengdu expressways and then passes to the west of Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. An interchange with Songze Elevated Road provides access east to the adjacent airport and railway station. At the boundary between Qingpu District and Songjiang District, the expressway intersects with the G50 Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway. In Songjiang District, the expressway links to the concurrent G60 Shanghai–Kunming and G92 Hangzhou Bay Ring expressways, followed by the S32 Shanghai–Jiaxing–Huzhou Expressway, the latter which connects to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It then continues into Jinshan District, where it connects again to the G1501 Shanghai Ring Expressway before making a sharp turn west at the S4 Shanghai–Jinshan Expressway just north of the city centre of Jinshan. As it approaches the

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

border, it connects with the southern terminus of S19 Xinnong–Jinshanwei Expressway, a short north-south expressway in Jinshan.

Zhejiang

* Ningbo * Taizhou *

Wenzhou Wenzhou; Chinese postal romanization, historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in China's Zhejiang province. Wenzhou is located at the extreme southeast of Zhejiang, bordering Lishui, Zhejiang, Lishui to the west, Taizhou, Zheji ...

Fujian

* Ningde *

Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...

* Putian *

Quanzhou Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China, People's Republic of China. It is Fujian's largest most populous metropolitan region, wi ...

Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

* Zhangzhou

Guangdong

* Shantou *

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

* Yangjiang * Maoming *

* ''Bridge from

not constructed, no continuation of expressway here, ferry connection available''

Hainan

* Haikou (currently only the section within Hainan Island is completed on 28 December 2022, this section is paralleled with G75)

Detailed Itinerary

Branch expressway

The Shenyang–Haikou Expressway has a branch expressway, the China Expwy G15W sign with name

G15W Changshu–Taizhou Expressway, between the cities of Changshu,

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, and Taizhou,

. The branch line splits off from the main expressway after the Sutong Bridge and passes through the cities of

, and

Shaoxing Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou, Zhejiang, Taizhou to the south ...

before rejoining the main expressway just north of Taizhou. The spur line is complete.

Shenyang–Dalian Expressway Exits

History

The Shenyang–Dalian Expressway was built between 1984 and 1990. The name combines the first character of each of the 2 cities, Shen and Da, making it the Shenda highway. It translates literally to Shenda high-speed roadway. Originally, it was a 4-lane freeway. It was rebuilt recently and now has 8 lanes.

Controversy

Shenda highway is claimed to be the first expressway in China mainland. It was planned as an express highway but was actually built as a

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

. Due to its length (), it was opened section by section. Although the entire route was not completed until 1990, its first section had already opened in 1986. By 1988, more than of the route was opened to public traffic. Its competitor, the Hujia Expressway, only long, also claimed to be the first expressway in mainland China. It was completed in 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:G15 Shenyang-Haikou Expressway Chinese national-level expressways Expressways in Liaoning Expressways in Jiangsu Expressways in Shanghai Expressways in Zhejiang Expressways in Fujian Expressways in Guangdong Expressways in Shandong Expressways in Hainan