China Opens 22.13-km Tianshan Shengli Tunnel in Xinjiang

Key facts

• China opened a 22.13-km-long tunnel in Xinjiang province, which is claimed to be the 'world's longest' expressway tunnel.
• The Tianshan Shengli tunnel traverses the central Tianshan Mountains and has 'set two world records' for being the longest expressway tunnel and having the deepest vertical shaft for a highway tunnel.
• The tunnel is a key part of the G0711 Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, which also became operational on Friday.
• The 324.7-km-long expressway was constructed over five years by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) with a total investment of 46.7 billion yuan (about USD 6.63 billion).
• The project reduces travel time between Urumqi and Korla from around seven hours to about three hours, while the mountain journey is reduced from several hours to 20 minutes.