The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, dubbed the world's longest highway tunnel, was completed on the morning of December 30, opening a new route that shortens the distance between the north and south of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, Xinhua News Agency reported.
With a length of 22.13 km, the Thien Son Thang Loi Tunnel not only marks a milestone with its enormous scale but also has special significance in helping to reduce driving time through the area between the Thien Son mountain range from several hours to about 20 minutes when put into operation.
The tunnel is designed with two directions, four lanes, a maximum speed of 100 km/h, and is located at an average altitude of over 3,000 meters above sea level. This project is an engineering feat when built in an area deep in the Tianshan Mountains, where environmental conditions are harsh and geology is complex.
Over the past four years, more than 3,000 workers have worked tirelessly in high-altitude, oxygen-depleted environments, facing a series of challenges such as rock blasts, major geological deformations and landslides.
While it normally takes around 72 months to complete such a project, the construction team broke all limits, completing the project in just 52 months, according to China Media Group (CMG).
The Tianshan Mountains are known as a "geological museum" with many complex faults, of which the tunnel passes through 16 fault zones. The tunnel's second ventilation shaft reaches a depth of 706 meters, higher than China's tallest building, the Shanghai Tower.
To address these enormous challenges, builders broke the project into smaller, more manageable sections, which helped speed up the tunneling process. This reduced the initial construction time by more than 25%.
To minimize the impact on the environment, especially the Tianshan No. 1 Glacier and snow leopard habitat, on-site facilities have been set up to treat wastewater and fully reuse gravel. This helps the project meet important environmental protection goals.
The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel is an important part of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway project, connecting the capital Urumqi in northern Xinjiang to Yuli County in southern Xinjiang.
When the entire expressway is completed and put into operation in 2025, travel time between the two locations will be reduced from about 7 hours to just over 3 hours.
