China's 60-mile long traffic jam ends

Here's a little ray of sunshine if you happen to be traveling on the G110 expressway in China. The massive, 60-mile long traffic jam that reportedly cropped up due to road maintenance between Beijing and Zhangjiaku has all but evaporated. NBC News decided to get down and dirty by heading up the afflicted highway to see the mayhem for itself, only to find that the Chinese government had successfully dissipated the clog.

From what the news agency found, the G110 is popular among truck drivers hauling coal from illegal mines in the countryside into Beijing. There are plenty of larger, quicker roads to get goods in and out of the capital, but those highways are heavily monitored and charge drivers based on their load and the distance they travel. Until just recently, the G110 didn't have those hassles.

But after traffic began to go stack up, the government quickly erected a series of toll booths and weigh stations to keep an eye on what's going and coming through the area. For now, traffic is flowing freely along the road, even though the original roadwork isn't set to wrap up until mid September.

[Source: NBC News | Image: AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan]

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