The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel,the world's longest expressway tunnel,opened to the public for drive-through experience on December26,2025and is set for opening on January1,2026,offering a much nearer road link between the southern and northern parts of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Stretching22.1kilometers through the snow-covered Tianshan Mountains,the tunnel allows vehicles to travel across the once insurmountable geographical barrier at a maximum speed of100km per hour in merely20minutes.

The tunnel is an essential part of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway.The opening also marked the inauguration of the new expressway between the regional capital and Korla,a vital transportation hub in southern Xinjiang.As an alternative to the existing weather-prone winding mountain roads,the expressway cuts journey time between the two important cities from about seven hours to just three and a half hours.

"This means parcels from Korla can arrive in Urumqi in half a day and in other parts of China much faster,"said He Dong,head of the distribution center of J&T Express in Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture.

The leading Chinese courier,which has business presence in over10countries and regions across the world has planned cold-chain delivery services to seize the opportunities brought by shortened transportation time and sell the wide range of fresh fruit and farm produce from Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture to the vast domestic market across the country.

Building a road to traverse the Tianshan Mountains has long been a dream for people in Xinjiang.The Tianshan Mountains,measuring2,500kilometers in total length,constitutes the largest isolated east-west mountain range globally and the mountain range farthest from the sea.The part in China is1,760kilometers,accounting for more than two-thirds of the total length.The name Tianshan means"Celestial Mountains"in Chinese as ancient people were desperately daunted by such a formidable celestial-monster-like natural barrier.

In ancient times,people had to conquer frighteningly high cliffs and glacier-covered peaks to traverse the Tianshan Mountains.In1958,Urumqi was connected with Korla via the first modern road through the natural barrier.Parallel with the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel,the road winds along the snow-capped peaks with an altitude of3,400meters above the sea level.The highest section reaches the4,280-meter-high glacier-capped Shengli Pass adjacent to No.1,No.2and No.3glaciers of the Tianshan Mountains.

Since its opening,the road has engulfed hundreds of vehicles and thousands of lives,and is thus known as"the road of death."Traffic has been prohibited on the road over recent years for glacier protection,but some still stumbled in and got stranded.Rescue was frequent.

The mentioned seven-hour journey used to be the most convenient link between Urumqi and Korla.Starting from Urumqi,a driver had to make a detour in Turpan in eastern Xinjiang and traverse Tianshan Mountains via Gangou Valley in Toksun County.

Another traffic link connecting the southern and northern parts of Xinjiang is the Dushanzi-Kuqa Highway.Now a popular tourist destination,the road witnessed168lives devoted to its construction starting in1974.It usually closes for as long as eight months from early October to May or June of the following year for safety reasons.

The new Dushanzi-Kuqa Expressway started construction in September2025.An expressway project with the largest investment in Xinjiang,it is expected to be completed in2032.Upon completion,the journey from southern Xinjiang to northern Xinjiang will be further shortened.

"The difficulties of digging a tunnel through the Tianshan Mountains are unimaginable,"said Li Yalong,a manager with the construction team.He listed challenges,such as extreme cold,high altitudes,high ground stress,strong seismic activity and strict environmental requirements.

Beyond the engineering marvels,the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway,whose construction started in April2020,is already reshaping everyday life of the people who live around.

For local herder Bata,who has been grazing his cattle and sheep on the range next to the construction site of the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel,the change has long been perceived.

In the past,selling cattle and sheep,the major source of income for Bata's family,meant long and uncertain trips to Urumqi.Weather changes,road closures,and steep mountain passes often turned a planned journey into a gamble.Sometimes,buyers waited,and so did his income.

Now,for the first time,the uncertainty is fading in Bata's heart as the travel time has been fixed.He starts to imagine travelers stopping by the beautiful pasture and drinking fresh milk tea in his warm yurt."Tourism will grow and the cattle and sheep can be delivered to markets in Urumqi much faster and sell at a good price,"Bata said with expectation.

When survey teams for the construction of the tunnel first arrived in2017,unfamiliar with the terrain,he offered his yurt as shelter and guided engineers on horseback through valleys and over ridges,sometimes reaching sites more than3,600meters above sea level.Later,he joined the construction team and worked as a sanitation vehicle driver at the site.

"Bata was always the first to arrive at work and the last to leave,and he is good at his job,"said Deng Lingdong,a manager with the construction team,who witnessed the team's friendship with the herdsman.

"This land feeds us,"Bata said."Keeping it clean is part of respecting it."

That respect for the land is deeply rooted in the construction team's approach to the tunnel construction.Located near the Tianshan No.1Glacier and high-altitude grasslands,the road project passes through one of Xinjiang's most ecologically fragile regions.The building of the tunnel itself is a decision after solid and elaborate scientific research and evaluation on local environment.The tunnel minimizes surface disturbance to the Tianshan Mountains and is the optimal approach available to preserving the fragile ecosystems,according to Deng.

Protecting water resources was a top priority in the construction.All construction wastewater has been treated to meet national surface water standards and fully reused for production,equipment cooling,dust suppression,and vegetation restoration,said Deng.