The world’s longest motorway tunnel has been opened. The 22.13-kilometer-long £3billion Tianshan Shengli Tunnel in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, China, is half of the £4.9billion Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, and consists of two parallel tubes, each with two lanes of visitors. Traffic began flowing through it yesterday, as connectivity between the nation’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous area and central Asia is improved.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on social media: “The Urumqi-Yuli Expressway officially opens to traffic! At its heart lies the world’s longest expressway tunnel. At 22 kilometers, it turns a 3-hour mountain drive into 20 minutes. A major leap in connectivity for Xinjiang.”
The journey from Urumqi to Korla, Xinjiang’s bustling city centres, is predicted to have been truncated from over seven hours to roughly three hours.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, said: “Making history once again! China just opened the 22.13-km (13.75-mile) Tianshan Victory Tunnel, the world’s longest expressway tunnel, across a mountain range in Xinjiang, cutting a several-hour mountain drive down to just 20 minutes.”
Chairman of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), Song Hailiang, informed CCTV that the project “set two world records”.
They added: “It is the longest expressway tunnel in the world and has the deepest vertical shaft for a highway tunnel.£
Xu Tianchen, an expert from The Economist Intelligence Unit, previosuly highlighted the strategic importance of the tunnel.
He said the tunnel could be a game-changing infrastructure for Central Asia that would spark increased economic activity, according to The Sun.
The expert said: “Completion will certainly benefit trade and economic growth in the underdeveloped part of Xinjiang.
“Central Asia provides a reasonable return-risk mix, especially with its rich energy reserves and acceptable security situation.”
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