World’s longest traffic jam saw lines of vehicles for over 100 km, it lasted 12 days, it happened on…, the place is…

New Delhi: To commute in Delhi-NCR is not easy, especially during the peak hours as the traffic situation is very difficult on the roads. A report says that in cities like Bengaluru, people spend half their lives in traffic jams. If you have an appointment, interview or catch a train or flight, you have to leave home much ahead of time because you never know the traffic condition. Getting stuck in a jam is nothing less than an ordeal. Even a short duration traffic jam is enough to make feel uncomfortable and distressed.

Today we will tell you the story of the world’s longest traffic jam which lasted for 12 days. You can imagine the plight of those who were stuck in that historical jam.

People and their vehicles were stuck in such a jam for 12 days that the vehicles did not even move. In real terms, life came to a standstill.

This incident took place on August 14, 2010 in China’s capital Beijing on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, also known as China National Highway 110. The line of the vehicles stretched to more than 100 km. For 12 days, vehicles and people sitting in them were stuck on that particular spot without moving an inch. No wonder that this jam is recorded as the longest jam in the history of the whole world. As far as one could see, only vehicles were visible.

The jam was so long that people ate there and slept there itself. The jam was caused by the trucks carrying coal and construction materials from Mongolia to Beijing for the Beijing-Tibet Expressway that was under construction. Traffic was diverted to one-way due to the ongoing work on the expressway.

Trucks carrying construction materials from Mongolia to Beijing blocked Beijing’s exit and it took the administration 12 days to clear it out. Many vehicles were damaged, due to which the road got blocked for a longer duration. The stranded vehicles could cover only about 1 km in a day.

Temporary houses were built along the expressway for the drivers and passengers and snacks, cold drinks, noodles and other food items were sold at four times the price. People were forced to buy water at 10 times the fixed rate.

To open the jam, the administration stopped traffic on this route. The trucks stuck in the jam were let go first. The administration worked day and night to evacuate the people trapped there.

Finally, the world’s longest jam ended on 26 August 2010.

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