The 22.13-km Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world's longest expressway tunnel, officially opened to traffic, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Traversing the central Tianshan Mountains in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the tunnel slashes what was once a several-hour mountain drive to just 20 minutes.
As a vital artery linking city clusters in northern and southern Xinjiang, the G0711 Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, including the tunnel, entered operation on the same day.
Via existing expressways, the new route extends to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Chengdu-Chongqing region, thereby becoming a key hub that connects China's eastern economic circle with countries in Eurasia.
The expressway, constructed over five years, spans 324.7 km with a total investment of 46.7 billion yuan (about $6.63 billion).
Stretching 2,500 km, the Tianshan Mountains span central Xinjiang, separating Urumqi, the largest city in the north, from Korla, the largest city in the south.
With the opening of the expressway, travel time between these two major cities is reduced from 7 hours to approximately 3 hours, promoting economic integration between northern and southern Xinjiang and creating new channels for external exchanges.
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