No, Guangdong's New Coastal Road Won't Be the World's Longest

By Matthew Bossons, August 4, 2017

There is nothing quite like a coastal road trip; convertible top down, sea salt hanging in the air and Brian Adam’s cheesy-as-it-gets ‘Summer of 69’ blaring from the car stereo.

It’s an image ubiquitous with freedom, adventure and youth and most commonly associated with coastal highways in California, Ireland, Australia and Hawaii (but mostly California).

But that's all about to change, with Guangdong announcing its intention to build a 1,600-kilometer-long stretch of coastal highway connecting 14 cities within the province.

While the roadway will be notably longer than California’s 1,055-kilometer-long State Route 1, it will fall short of the length required to become the world’s longest coastal roadway.

Despite numerous reports over the past 24 hours, including this heavily-cited People's Daily story, suggesting the Guangdong route will secure the world length title, that honor will remain with Ireland’s 2,500-kilometer Wild Atlantic Way – our planet’s longest, clearly defined coastal road.

It’s possible there is some strange criteria being used to bolster the future Guangdong highway’s claim to the title, but we weren't made privy to it.

But enough with ‘whose is bigger,’ let's get back to what matters: what Guangdong settlements will be on the route? They are: Zhanjiang, Maoming, Yangjiang, Jiangmen, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shanwei, Jieyang, Shantou, and Chaozhou, according to Straits Times.

The highway will consist of 600 kilometers of repaved road and over 1,000 kilometers of new highway. Construction of the 500-kilometer Zhanjiang section is anticipated to break ground by the end of this year.

For those fond of sightseeing, the project will include viewing decks, according to GRT Radio, as well as bike lanes – just in case you want to take a Mobike beyond the city limits for a little coastal cruise.

Guangdongers, scrub those fantasies of California road tripping. Replace them with images of congested South China highway accompanied by blasts of 'Xiao Pingguo' and the occasional whiff of rotting whale carcass.

[Image via Nanfang Daily, h/t People's Daily]