( Picture orginal from XinhuaNet:http://info.tibet.cn)
Reporters were informed from the Everest Highway Project Office that the only connecting road to Everest Base Camp—“Everest Highway” conservation projects recently have been completed. Everest Base Camp not only was an indispensable land to the highest peak of the world—Mount Everest, but also the core area of Mount Everest Nature Reserve, the only touring site open to the tourists.
In order to satisfy the home and abroad climbers to Everest climbing expedition requirements, in 1978 the Tibet Autonomous Region government built a total length of 110 km four band road with 3.5m width which starts from China-Nepal Highway 318 National Road side to Everest Base Camp, this one is the so-called “Everest Highway”.
According to statistics, since the year to September 18th, Everest has received the total number of 32,000 visitors. In recent years, the oversea visitors to Mount Everest have been increasing.
According to the introductions of the Tibet Autonomous Region government and the relevant departments, as once the former Everest Highway completed it basically have not conducted with large-scale repair and transform, so the conditions is very poor, along the road, there were more than 170 corners, and traffic is not very safe. Many tourists suggest to maintain the highway.
The Tibet Autonomous Regional Party Committee vice secretary, vice chairman Hao Peng recently said that Everest Nature Reserve is a very sensitive area for the ecological environment of Tibet, the autonomous region has always attached great importance to the Mount Everest Nature Reserve protect, but as the world's first mountain peaks, many home and abroad climbers, as well as the local people want to go there, so we do need a relatively good road.
This year, the autonomous regional government has been done the mountain highway maintenance and alterations. The reporter recently drove to the Everest Base Camp and personally experience the refurbishment of the "Everest Highway": all the road are the gravel road, the roadbed has widened, the former "washboard road," have a new formation, and the edge of spiral Highway built fence, lobbing a new "security line."
The Tibetan tourism driver Ciduo has a deep feel about this. He said: "In the past from Tingri County to Everest Base Camp it needs over four hours, hundreds of spiral detours, and sometimes we really worried about falling to the cliff; Now, with highway fence, addition with the improved road conditions, two hours we can be safely reached."
The Tibetan guide Zhaxiciren of Tibet Tianma Travel Agency said: "Everest Road maintenance is too timely! This will guarantee the safety of tourists. Of course, we travel agency, the most intuitive feeling is that we can receive more tour groups. "
"Gravel road is good! Very formation! " Italian tourist Dorado Reiter of Everest affirmed repeatedly with his raised thumb. "The current Everest highway only do the formation and reasonably get widen for the former one,It will not damage the ecological environment, but also played a role in protection." Mount Everest National Nature Reserve Authority Gama Said.
Gama said that before the renovation of "Everest Highway", due to the poor road conditions, coupled with the winter ice roads, rain-summer, many drivers do not want to take the "right path", arbitrary do the way, where has the flat they will go there, with this it do a great damage to the vegetation along the way.He said: "Now the road repaired, the road was added along the fence, we believe that the driver will choose the safe and leveled road."
