By Ashley Karen
Significant progress has been made during the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel construction in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which is claimed to be the longest highway tunnel presently under construction in the world.
As a critical section of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, the new tunnel, which has a total length of 22.1km, will travel the Tianshan Mountains and open a new pathway to southern Xinjiang. It is noteworthy to say that the expressway construction began in 2020.
Once completed, the tunnel will cross one of the most extended mountain ranges in the world and make new routes for trade between Xinjiang and Central Asia.
When operational to traffic by the end of October 2025, it is stated to reduce travel time through the Tianshan Mountains to approximately 20 minutes, and the journey from the regional capital of Urumqi to Korla, a principal city in southern Xinjiang, will be shortened from over seven hours to almost three hours.
The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel contains two motorway tunnels and a service tunnel, and by Nov 11, the total length of each motorway tunnel had advanced over 15 km. According to the construction team, the construction of the tunnels is envisioned to be finished by the end of 2024.
The team had to overcome many problems and be innovative in building the tunnel, which is in a high-plateau area with intricate geological conditions.
