What does the road number starting with 'G' represent?
2 Answers
G stands for National Highway, which refers to main arterial roads with national political, economic significance as well as international and defense importance. Here are the relevant details: 1. National Highways: National Highways start with a capital 'G' followed by three digits. If the first digit is 1, it represents radial National Highways centered on Beijing; if the first digit is 2, it represents north-south oriented National Highways; if the first digit is 3, it represents east-west oriented National Highways. 2. Provincial Highways: Provincial Highways start with a capital 'S' followed by three digits. If the first digit is 1, it represents radial Provincial Highways starting from the provincial capital; if the first digit is 2, it represents north-south oriented Provincial Highways; if the first digit is 3, it represents east-west oriented Provincial Highways.
I remember asking my driving instructor specifically when I first got my license - roads starting with G are national-level! Like the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway and G15 Shenyang-Haikou Expressway, these are major arteries spanning multiple provinces. Later, when I started driving long distances myself, I noticed a pattern: the number of digits after the G can hint at the road's importance. Single-digit numbers like G1/G2 are definitely national trunk roads, two-digit ones like G15 connect provincial capitals, and three-digit ones like G228 are key national highways within a province. But don't confuse them with S-prefixed roads - S35 is a provincial expressway, which is a whole different level.
