China National Highway 109

China National Highway 109 connects Beijing with Lhasa. It runs westwards of Beijing via Datong, Yinchuan and Xining to Golmud before turning southwest to Lhasa. The portion of the highway from Xining to Lhasa is known as the Qinghai-Tibet Highway.[1] The total distance of the highway is 3,901 km.

National Highway 109
109国道
Route information
Part of
Length	3,901 km (2,424 mi)
Major junctions
From	Beijing
To	Lhasa
Highway system
China National Highways National Trunk Highway System ← G108 → G110

Fushi Road or Jinglan Road forms the stretch of G109 in Beijing, as it begins from Fuchengmen and traverses through Shijingshan. The majority of the Beijing section is in Mentougou District.

The section of the highway within western Qinghai and Tibet, from Golmud to Lhasa, is paralleled by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The highway reaches its highest elevation of 5,231 meters (17,162 ft) at Tanggula Pass.

"Tasked with carrying upwards of 85 per cent of goods in and out of Tibet, the Qinghai-Tibet Highway has been dubbed the "Lifeline of Tibet." ... Since it was opened to traffic in 1954, the central government has spent nearly 3 billion yuan (US$362 million) on three major overhauls. It was asphalted in 1985."[2]