تسببت أعمال على الطريق على الطريق السريع بين بكين وتشانغجياكو في Huailai, بطابور سيارات يمتد إلى مد البصر.
المفارقة هي أن أشغال الطرق المتبعة لتخفيف حدة الازدحام الناجم عن الآلاف من شاحنات الفحم المتجهة الى المدينة.
يذكر أن الإزدحام يمتد إلى تقريبا ً 60 ميلا ً. وأن السيارات تتقدم بمعدل نصف ميل في اليوم.
The immediate cause of the traffic jam that began Aug. 14 is construction on one of three southbound highways feeding into Beijing.
Authorities are trying to ease the snarl-up by letting more trucks into the capital, especially at night, said Zhang, the traffic director. They also asked trucking companies to suspend operations and advised drivers to take the few alternate routes available.
"Things are getting better and better," he said, but he added that the construction would go on until Sept. 17.
Alan Pisarski, author of "Commuting in America," said the worst traffic jams in U.S. history tend to be associated with natural disasters, such as people fleeing Hurricane Katrina or the collapse of the upper deck of a freeway in Oakland, Calif., in the 1989 earthquake.
"It took some people days to get home after that one," Pisarski said.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129395326