The 22.13-kilometre Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world’s longest expressway tunnel, officially opened to traffic on Friday.
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.
“This is an all-weather, high-efficiency, large-capacity transport corridor that will significantly enhance the resilience and security of national energy resources and agricultural supply chains,” said Huang Tao, deputy director of the transport bureau of the Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, where Yuli County is located.
Xinhua
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