Beijing spruces up Tiananmen Square for China's war parade
Explosion-proof layer installed underneath Changan Avenue
Beijing's Tiananmen Square and parts of the capital's main thoroughfare are getting a facelift for the September military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war, state media reported on the weekend.
Along Changan Avenue, plain metal guardrails are being replaced with more elaborate ones on a 3.6km stretch between Fuxingmen and Jianguomen.
The project is expected to be completed by mid-August, according to a China News Service report on Saturday.
Tiananmen Gate and its rostrum overlooking the square would also be repainted, the report said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of tiles on a 400-metre length of road near the square will be replaced and cemented in to ensure greater structural stability.
That work is expected to be completed by the end of this week.
Increasing traffic in the area in the recent years, especially from public buses, has inflicted an ever-growing amount of damage on the road and its tiles.
The roads in the area will be resealed to fill in cracks and dips in the surface, the report said, adding that the last round of maintenance for the roads west of the Great Hall of the People, was in 2007.
It was also reported that a special explosion-proof layer had been installed underneath Changan Avenue.
The protective barrier is a mix of anti-explosive materials, cement and asphalt and is up to 120cm thick in some places - more than double the usual road thickness.
Beijing Subway's Line 1 runs beneath Changan Avenue, and the explosion-proof layer was added for additional security, the authorities were quoted as saying.
Tiananmen Square is a sensitive area, and the authorities have warned against loosening security there.
Three people were executed last August after they were convicted of "masterminding" an attack at Tiananmen Square in October 2013.
The attack occurred when a car ploughed into tourists near the entrance to the former imperial palace, the Forbidden City, and burst into flames. Two tourists and three people in the car were killed.
As part of preparations, Beijing is aiming for "Apec blue" skies over the capital for the September commemorations, with plans to revive tough air pollution restrictions introduced for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last November.
The day has been declared a public holiday.
Chen Tian, head of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, said last week that a panel of scientists would draft plans and advise on measures to clear the skies. Neighbouring cities and provinces would also join the effort.
