URUMQI, China (Kashmir English): China has officially inaugurated the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, setting a new world record for the longest expressway tunnel.
Spanning 22.13 kilometers (approximately 13.75 miles), the tunnel traverses the central Tianshan Mountains at altitudes of nearly 3,000 meters.
Tunnel to slash travel time
The tunnel dramatically slashes travel time through the mountainous route from several hours to roughly 20 minutes. For travelers between the major cities of Urumqi and Korla, the total journey has been reduced from seven hours to approximately three hours.
As a centerpiece of the G0711 Urumqi–Yuli Expressway, the project links northern and southern Xinjiang, facilitating better economic integration and trade with Central Asia.
Built over five years with an investment of approximately 46.7 billion yuan ($6.63 billion), the tunnel features two separate passages with two lanes each, designed for speeds of up to 100 km/h.
