China has opened the world’s longest expressway tunnel to traffic in the Xinjiang region, across one of the country’s most challenging mountain areas.
The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, stretching more than 22 kilometres, is now fully operational as part of the Urumqi–Yuli Expressway.
The tunnel cuts directly through the heart of the Tianshan Mountains, a natural barrier that has long made travel between northern and southern Xinjiang slow, difficult and largely dependent on weather.
Before its completion, drivers had to navigate winding mountain roads that could take several hours and were often closed in winter. With the tunnel now open, the same journey takes around 20 minutes.
Construction of the tunnel began more than five years ago and was widely seen as one of the most complex highway engineering projects ever attempted in the region.
Builders had to work at depths of more than 1,100 metres underground, pass through multiple geological fault zones and deal with extreme cold, high altitude and unstable rock formations.
At peak periods, thousands of workers and engineers were involved, using advanced drilling, monitoring and ventilation systems to keep the project on track.
Officials say the tunnel will significantly change how people and goods move across Xinjiang.
The full Urumqi-Yuli Expressway provides a direct link between the regional capital in the north and key cities and counties in the south, cutting overall travel times between major hubs from more than seven hours to roughly three.
“This project removes a long-standing transport bottleneck between northern and southern Xinjiang,” a regional transport official said, adding that it will make travel safer, faster and more reliable throughout the year.
“It creates conditions for more balanced development and closer economic ties across the region.” He said.
For people who rely on the route for work, the impact is immediate. Long-haul drivers who regularly cross the Tianshan range say winter travel has become far less stressful, with shorter journeys and fewer disruptions caused by snow and ice.
The expressway project, which includes multiple bridges and additional tunnels, represents a major investment in Xinjiang’s infrastructure.
Authorities say it will support industries such as logistics, tourism and agriculture, while also improving access to services for communities in more remote areas.
With traffic now flowing through the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the opening stands as both an engineering milestone and a practical change for daily life in Xinjiang and is turning one of the country’s toughest mountain crossings into a fast, year-round route.
Japan's cabinet has approved a record-high $785 billion budget for the next fiscal year - including the largest allocation for defence spending ever....
Foreign aid and its political implications are at the centre of public debate in Georgia with mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze echoing U.S. Secretary of...
Jeyhun Bayramov expressed concerns regarding the Russian Investigative Committee’s decision to close the criminal case related to the AZAL airplane ...
China has opened the world’s longest expressway tunnel to traffic in the Xinjiang region, across one of the country’s most challenging mountain ar...
The long-standing rivalry between India and Pakistan over Kashmir reached a dangerous peak in 2025, as missile strikes, drone warfare, and rapid milit...
Foreign aid and its political implications are at the centre of public debate in Georgia with mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze echoing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's stance on USAID.
Iran has rolled out a test vending of imported premium at market price in Tehran to address the country's domestic petroleum consumption deficit.
South Korea’s special prosecutor has requested a 10-year prison sentence for former president Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of attempting to obstruct his arrest following his failed bid to impose martial law.
In an era marked by geopolitical uncertainty, economic fragmentation, and accelerating climate pressures, meaningful diplomacy is no longer defined by rhetoric alone, but by clarity of purpose and convergence of vision.
A majority of Russians expect the war in Ukraine to end in 2026, state pollster VTsIOM said on Wednesday, in a sign that the Kremlin could be testing public reaction to a possible peace settlement as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify.
In 2025, Ukraine lived two parallel realities: one of diplomacy filled with staged optimism, and another shaped by a war that showed no sign of letting up.
It’s been a year since an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Relatives and loved ones mourn the victims, as authorities near the final stage of their investigation.
The White House has instructed U.S. military forces to concentrate largely on enforcing a “quarantine” on Venezuelan oil exports for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters, signalling that Washington is prioritising economic pressure over direct military action against Caracas.
Polish fighter jets on Thursday intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near Poland’s airspace over the Baltic Sea and escorted it away from their area of responsibility.
South Korea’s special prosecutor has requested a 10-year prison sentence for former president Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of attempting to obstruct his arrest following his failed bid to impose martial law.
Japan's cabinet has approved a record-high $785 billion budget for the next fiscal year - including the largest allocation for defence spending ever.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 26th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Missile development in North Korea is set to continue over the next five years. The country’s leader Kim Jong Un made the remarks during visits to major arms production facilities in the final quarter of 2025, the state news agency KCNA reported on Friday.
The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment