China National Highway 109

{{Short description|Road in China}}

{{Refimprove|date=April 2012}}

{{Infobox road

|country=CHN

|type=G

|route=109

|map=G109-路线图.svg

|length_km= 3901

|terminus_a= Beijing

|junction=

|terminus_b= Lhasa

|ahn={{Jct|country=CHN|AH|42}}

|previous_type=G

|previous_route=108

|previous_dab=

|next_type=G

|next_route=110

|next_dab=

}}

China National Highway 109 connects Beijing with Lhasa. It runs westwards from 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.{{cite book|last1=Caidan|first1=Ann|last2=Jun|first2=Liu|last3=Jinhui|first3=Li|last4=Tao|first4=Xie|title=Tibet China: travel guide|date=2003|publisher=China Intercontinental Press|isbn=9787508503745|pages=160–161}} The total length of the route is 3,901 km.

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 {{convert|5231|m|sp=us}} at Tanggula Pass. Construction of this section started on 11 May 1954.{{Cite book|last=王宗仁|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pE68DwAAQBAJ&dq=%E6%A0%BC%E5%B0%94%E6%9C%A8+%E5%8E%86%E5%8F%B2&pg=PT28|title=苍茫青藏|date=2001-10-01|publisher=Beijing Book Co. Inc.|isbn=978-7-5065-4113-8|language=zh}}

"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."{{Cite news

| last = Gyaco

| first = Former director of the Communications Commission of the Tibet Autonomous Region

| title = Roads of change revitalize Tibet

| work = Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, Business Daily Update

| access-date = 2012-04-07

| date = 2005-01-05

| url = http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-18487951_ITM

}}

The route also holds importance as one of the main coal transport routes in southern Inner Mongolia.{{Cite web|title=保证司乘安全 国道109线4座大型桥梁定期检测-内蒙古新闻-中国新闻网|url=http://www.nmg.chinanews.com/news/20200920/22199.html|access-date=2021-06-04|website=www.nmg.chinanews.com}}