Traffic in disaster-hit China has largely been back to normal,
with only a few highway sections still being closed due to frozen
road surface, the Ministry of Public Security said in Beijing
Saturday.
Traffic was smooth on the Beijing-Zhuhai expressway, a
north-south trunk road.
The trunk road saw a surging flow of traffic at the section
bordering Guangdong and central Hunan Province, with 3,832 vehicles
heading south, up 70 percent from Friday, and 5,760 vehicles
heading north, down 20 percent, according to the ministry.
In east China's Zhejiang Province, a section of the No. 13
provincial highway, a section of the No. 22 provincial highway and
two section of the No. 20 provincial highways remained closed to
vehicles because of icy surfaces.
Road to the scenic Daming Mountain in Nanning, capital city of
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwest China, was still
sealed, as workers were clearing fallen trees and repairing
cave-ins on the road.
Six sections of highway in north China's Shaanxi Province were
either under traffic control or were blocked at night, the ministry
said.
More than 140,000 police officers and 45,000 police cars were
deployed on roads nationwide to ensure safe and smooth traffic
during the traditional Spring Festival.
By 6:00 p.m. Saturday, no major accident with three or more
killed was reported, according to the ministry.
The snow, the heaviest in five decades in many places, has been
falling in China's eastern, central and southern regions for almost
a month. It has caused death, structural collapse, blackouts,
traffic chaos and livestock and crop losses in 19 provinces,
municipalities and regions.
(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2008)