city gates around Beijing. These include: Deshengmen Andingmen Dongzhimen Chaoyangmen Guangqumen Zuo'anmen Yongdingmen You'anmen Guang'anmen Fuchengmen Xizhimen Only Deshengmen and Yongdingmen (rebuilt 2005) still stand; the others were demolished in the 1950s and 1960s. Gates through which the former Inner 2nd Ring Road ("Metro Road") passes are: Chongwenmen Zhengyangmen Xuanwumen Only Zhengyangmen is still standing today. Road conditions Surface conditions After completion in the 1980s, the design of the 2nd Ring Road was sufficient for its traffic load. However, as utilization increased in the late 20th century, the road surface rapidly deteriorated. Prior to 2001, the road gave motorists an uncomfortable bumpy ride. Since the total resurfacing, driving on the road has been much more pleasant. Partial resurfacing work is ongoing. Central location Located in the heart of the city, the 2nd Ring Road is also a transportation bottleneck. Traffic jams are common, and it is hard to find immediate alternative routes as the 2nd Ring has few direct links to expressways. For cars and larger vehicles, there is no way to cross the 2nd Ring Road except at full junctions, or by making a U-turn under an overpass; pedestrians, cycles and motorcycles can make use of pedestrian overpasses. The speed limit is 80 km/h except for sharply turning sections such as between Xiaojie Bridge and Dongzhimen. Speed checks are very frequent and cameras are often operating, some of the locations of these are known, while some are hidden beneath bridges or behind screens. Traffic jams Traffic jams on the 2nd Ring Road have become a part of daily life. Nevertheless, their intensity varies. The northern stretch between Andingmen and Xiaojie Bridge is often jammed, particularly in the lead to the turn-off for the Airport Expressway. The same goes for part of the road around Deshengmen and all of the western side. The entire eastern side is frequently jammed due to its proximity to the Beijing CBD. Less frequently jammed traffic can be found on the southern stretch of the 2nd Ring Road from Caihuying through Zuo'anmen. While the 2nd Ring Road is often congested, unlike the 3rd Ring Road, it is never gridlocked. The 3rd Ring Road uses diamond interchanges, which includes traffic lights. These interchanges back up traffic and causes gridlock. The 2nd Ring Road instead employs mostly cloverleaf interchanges, which allows traffic to flow freely and without traffic lights, therefore eliminating traffic back up. Road condition monitors