Beijing's fifth ring road has opened to traffic Saturday. The fifth round-the-city highway is one of the large-scale infrastructure projects being prepared ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. 
 
The ring road, located on the outskirts of Beijing, is nearly 100 kilometers long and 10-15 kilometers from the city center. It connects several large residential areas, Olympic stadiums, science parks and the economic development zone.

The fifth ring road is expected to greatly alleviate the city's heavy traffic and also be conducive to local economic growth.

(CRI November 2, 2003)