A Highway built over apartments in China
Title: The Chongqing Expressway Through Apartments: China’s Unbelievable Urban Engineering Marvel
Meta Description: Discover the shocking story behind China’s G50 Highway built through residential buildings in Chongqing. Explore the engineering, controversy, and urban planning challenges of this modern marvel.
The Chongqing Expressway Through Apartments: How China Built a Highway Through Residential Buildings
In the mountainside metropolis of Chongqing, China, lies one of the most jaw-dropping urban engineering feats of the 21st century: a six-lane highway built directly through the middle of a 19-story apartment complex. This surreal structure has captivated the world, earning nicknames like the “Interceptor Apartments” and redefining what’s possible in dense urban planning. Let’s explore how this highway came to exist, the challenges it overcame, and why’s it’s both celebrated and criticized.
The Highway That Shattered Convention: A Quick Overview
The Chongqing “Highway Through Buildings” refers to a section of the G50 Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway in the city’s Quchi District. Completed in 2005, the elevated highway passes directly through the 5th–7th floors of two residential towers—roughly 40 meters above ground. Drivers whizz by just meters from balconies, while residents live undisturbed above and below the traffic. The towers and highway coexist thanks to meticulous structural engineering, but the visual absurdity has made it a viral curiosity.
Why Was the Highway Built Through Apartments?
1. Space Constraints in a Mountainous Megacity
Chongqing is one of China’s largest and most congested cities, known for its steep hills, rivers, and scarcity of flat land. Unlike grid-like Beijing or Shanghai, Chongqing’s terrain forced planners to think vertically—building up, down, and through obstacles.
2. A Compromise Between Developers and the Government
When the G50 expressway expansion was proposed, the land was already allocated for residential development. Instead of relocating residents or rerouting the highway, a radical deal was struck: build both projects simultaneously. Developers modified their apartment blueprints, leaving open “tunnels” in their towers for the highway to pass through.
3. Cost and Time Efficiency
Re-routing the highway would have required demolishing existing neighborhoods or carving through mountains—a slower, costlier process. Integrating the highway into the buildings saved an estimated $19 million USD and accelerated completion.
How Did Engineers Make It Possible?
– Shock Absorption & Noise Control
The highway sits on massive, vibration-dampening pillars separated from the buildings by a 20-cm gap—preventing structural tremors. Soundproof walls shield residents from noise pollution.
– Safety First (Mostly)
Overhead bridges connect the buildings over the highway, allowing residents to cross safely. Fire escapes and emergency exits were integrated into the design.
– Traffic Efficiency
By cutting through the heart of the district, the highway reduces travel time across Chongqing and eases congestion on ground-level roads.
Controversies and Criticisms
While hailed as an engineering triumph, the highway-apartment hybrid has faced backlash:
- Safety Concerns: Critics argue that crashes or earthquakes could endanger residents, though no major incidents have occurred.
- Noise Pollution: Despite soundproofing, residents report vibrations and traffic noise, especially at night.
- Questionable Urban Planning: Some urbanists argue this reflects China’s prioritization of infrastructure speed over livability.
Visiting the Chongqing “Highway Apartments” Today
The complex remains fully occupied, with units still selling as recently as 2023. It’s become a tourist hotspot, drawing visitors to its surreal skyway walkways and local noodle shops. Architects and engineers also study it as a case of extreme adaptive design.
Key Takeaways: What Does This Mean for Urban Futures?
China’s highway-through-buildings experiment challenges conventional wisdom about city planning. While extreme, it highlights solutions for:
- High-density cities with limited space
- Public-private collaboration in infrastructure
- Vertical integration of transport and housing
Still, it raises ethical questions: Should efficiency trump quality of life?
Final Thoughts: Innovation or Madness?
The Chongqing Expressway Apartments embody China’s “can-do” approach to urbanization—bold, pragmatic, and controversial. Whether it’s a dystopian eyesore or a stroke of genius depends on perspective, but one thing is certain: it’s a symbol of what happens when cities refuse to choose between growth and space.
For travelers, urban planners, or curious minds, Chongqing’s highway skyscraper is a must-see landmark—proof that reality can outdo fiction.
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