China will unify the names of its national highways by using numbers for the first time to aid navigation, according to a news portal in south China's Hainan Province.

 

Highways that will have been put into use by the end of this year will have unified series number and name beginning from next March, said the Website, citing a local traffic authority.

 

The number for nation-level highways will begin with the letter "G," which stands for the Chinese character "guo," or "country."

 

The report also revealed the rule for naming the highways.

 

Highways linking Beijing and neighboring provinces will have one digit after the G, giving them names such as G1 to G9.

 

Nationwide highways east to west will have a two-digit even number between 10 and 90, the report said. The road between Qindao in eastern China's Shandong Province and northwest Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region's Yinchuan City will be named G20, the report said as an example.

 

Highways running north to south will have a two-digit odd number between 11 and 89.

 

The mainland had 45,000 kilometers of highways by the end of last year, according to the report.

 

Research and survey work for the naming project will begin next January.

 

(Shanghai Daily October 18, 2007)