Thousands of Cars Stuck in Beijing Traffic Jam on 50-Lane Highway

These photos are every commuter's worst nightmare.

October 8, 2015, 3:44 PM
Vehicles are seen stuck in a traffic jam near a toll station as people return home at the end of a week-long national day holiday, in Beijing, Oct. 6, 2015.
Vehicles are seen stuck in a traffic jam near a toll station as people return home at the end of a week-long national day holiday, in Beijing, Oct. 6, 2015.
China Daily/Reuters

— -- If you think your commute is a headache, this recent traffic jam in Beijing might make you reconsider.

Thousands of cars were stuck for hours on the 50-lane-wide G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway on Wednesday, according to Chinese newspaper The People's Daily.

A newly installed checkpoint forced traffic to merge down to 20 lanes, creating a bottleneck that backed up traffic for miles, the People's Daily reported.

A drone also caught stunning aerial footage of the massive gridlock.

Over 750 million people, or half of China's population, were estimated to be traveling this past week for National Day celebrations, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing data released by China's Transport Ministry.

PHOTO: Vehicles are seen stuck in a traffic jam near a toll station as people return home at the end of a week-long national day holiday, in Beijing, Oct. 6, 2015.
Vehicles are seen stuck in a traffic jam near a toll station as people return home at the end of a week-long national day holiday, in Beijing, Oct. 6, 2015.