The Capital Airport Expressway will go through its first overhaul in the 13 years since it opened, authorities said on Wednesday.

Construction will be started in July, from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. each day. The road will be in operation at daytime.

Stretching 18.74 kilometers from the Sanyuanqiao intersection in northeast Beijing to the airport, the Capital Airport Expressway opened to traffic in 1993.

"Expressways should have overhauls every 10 years," said Li Xin, an official with the Beijing Capital Expressway Development Ltd., Co, adding, "the Capital Airport Expressway has already extended its service for three years."

Now cracks and damages could be seen on the road, and the pitch has aged.

Li also notes that the expressway is a path bringing guests to China's capital. "Its overhaul is a requirement of the 2008 Olympic Games as well."

Work of the overhaul includes road paving, bridge reinforcement, safety equipment replacement, electro-mechanical and lighting systems upgrading, landscape engineering, etc.

The overhaul is to be completed by the end of this year.

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2006)