Chinese authorities have officially opened the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, a 22-kilometer-long highway tunnel in northwest China, according to Xinhua.
According to the Chinese government, it is the longest high-speed highway tunnel in the world. Located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, it reduces travel time through mountainous terrain from several hours to 20 minutes.
The tunnel is part of the G0711 Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, which opened on the same day. It is a major transportation artery stretching over 324 kilometers, connecting urban agglomerations in northern and southern Xinjiang. Its construction lasted five years, with an investment of 46.7 billion yuan (6.63 billion dollars at the current exchange rate of the Central Bank of China).
The tunnel’s maximum depth is reportedly 1.1 kilometers. It crosses 16 fault zones, located in a region with high seismic activity and extreme weather conditions.
