Maoming boasts history of convenient transportation

Maoming's roads have a long history. The earliest records of Maoming's ancient roads in historical books can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE).

During the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, Maoming built 17 post roads, with a total length of more than 290 kilometers.

In 1959, the downtown area of Maoming was almost desolate, with only two or three main roads, such as the east-west industrial avenues built for the transportation of petroleum and equipment.

The city's construction of its transportation infrastructure was very slow, with few roads and cars, as well as undeveloped water transportation options. In its vast rural areas, it was almost all narrow dirt roads, making it difficult for people to travel.

In the 1980s, water transportation in Maoming became increasingly popular. In May 1980, the Guangdong Provincial Government approved Shuidong Port in Dianbai district as a loading and unloading point for imported goods, as well as opened the transportation market. The State-owned, collective, and individual transportation industries developed rapidly. In October 1988, the State Council approved Shuidong Port as an opening-up port.

However, by the end of the 1980s, there were still very few roads in the downtown area of Maoming, with the total road mileage in the city being less than 6,000 km and the road network density being only 46 km per 100 square kilometers.

Since the early 1990s, the construction of the road network in the central urban area of Maoming has spread rapidly. In addition, the construction of railways, ports, expressways, and other transportation infrastructure has been accelerated, while the coverage of the city's transportation network has continued to expand.

As of the end of 2021, the total mileage of Maoming railways was about 319 km, and the mileage under construction was about 116 km.

A beautiful expressway in Maoming. [Photo/WeChat account: Maofabu]