China Inaugurates World’s Longest Expressway Tunnel in Xinjiang: Tianshan Shengli Tunnel Cuts Urumqi-Korla Travel Time to 3.5 Hours, Sets New Global Engineering Records
China on December 26, 2025, opened the world’s longest expressway tunnel, the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Stretching 22.13 km, the tunnel took five years to build and now links northern and southern Xinjiang, cutting travel time and marking a major milestone in China’s infrastructure push.
New Delhi, December 31: China officially opened the world’s longest expressway tunnel on December 26, 2025, marking a significant milestone in its infrastructure development within the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, stretching 22.13 kilometers, is now open to traffic, effectively bridging the geographical divide between the northern and southern parts of the region after five years of construction.
Slashing Travel Times Across the Tianshan Range
The tunnel serves as the critical centerpiece of the Urumqi–Yuli Expressway (G0711). Before its completion, motorists were forced to navigate treacherous mountain roads, a journey that typically took approximately seven hours. Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge Opening: World's Tallest Bridge Opens in China, Cuts Travel Time From 2 Hours to 2 Minutes (Watch Video).
With the new tunnel operational, the drive through the formidable Tianshan mountain range has been reduced to just 20 minutes. The total travel time between the regional capital of Urumqi in the north and the industrial hub of Korla in the south has been cut in half, now taking roughly three and a half hours. Chenab Bridge Inauguration: PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates World’s Tallest Railway Arch Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, Interacts With Engineers, Workers (Watch Videos).
Record-Breaking Engineering
Construction of the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel set two new global benchmarks in civil engineering:
- World’s Longest Expressway Tunnel: At 22.13 kilometers, it surpasses all previous highway tunnel lengths.
- Deepest Vertical Shaft: The project features the world’s deepest vertical shaft for a highway tunnel, reaching a depth of 1,112 meters below the entrance altitude.
Engineers utilised innovative "three-tunnel" construction methods, using a central service tunnel to speed up the boring process for the two main traffic tubes. Workers faced extreme conditions throughout the 52-month project, including high ground stress, 16 different geological fault zones, and temperatures that dropped as low as minus 42 degrees Celsius.
Strategic and Economic Impact
The opening of the tunnel is expected to transform logistics in western China. By providing an all-weather, high-capacity route, the expressway stabilizes supply chains for agricultural goods and energy resources moving between northern and southern Xinjiang.
Beyond regional benefits, the project is a key link in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Xinjiang’s position bordering eight countries makes it a vital gateway for overland trade with Central and South Asia. This improved connectivity is intended to bolster international trade corridors and enhance regional security.
Looking Ahead: Future Frontiers
The completion of the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel is part of a broader push to modernize transport in China's border regions. Other massive projects remain in the pipeline, including the 1,980-kilometer railway connecting Hotan in Xinjiang to Lhasa in Tibet. These "projects of the century" continue to demonstrate China’s strategy of using high-tech infrastructure to integrate its most remote and challenging landscapes into the national economy.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2025 02:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).