The infrastructure, built in northwest China, spans 22.13 kilometers and is part of a strategic road corridor connecting northern and southern Xinjiang, substantially reducing travel times.
China has put into operation the world’s longest highway tunnel, an underground project located in the Xinjiang autonomous region in the northwest of the country. The “Tianshan Shengli” tunnel crosses the Tianshan mountain range and has a total length of 22.13 kilometers, becoming a significant milestone in Chinese road infrastructure.
The new connection allows a journey that previously could take up to four hours—especially in adverse weather conditions—to be reduced to a trip of approximately 20 minutes, directly improving the efficiency of freight and passenger transport in the region.
Technical characteristics and construction process
The project is part of the G0711 Urumqi–Yuli highway, a road corridor designed to strengthen Xinjiang’s internal connectivity. The construction of the tunnel spanned more than five years and required an estimated investment of 6.63 billion dollars.
The route crosses 16 geological fault zones at an altitude exceeding 2,500 meters above sea level, which involved facing conditions of high technical complexity, low temperatures, and high pressure levels in various sections. To achieve this, large-scale tunnel boring machines, permanent geological monitoring systems, and specific ventilation and safety solutions were employed.
Key project data:
- Tunnel length: 22.13 km
- Location: Tianshan mountain range, Xinjiang (northwest China)
- Previous crossing time: up to 4 hours
- Current crossing time: ~20 minutes
- Estimated investment: USD 6.63 billion
- Geological faults crossed: 16
Impact on regional connectivity and logistics
From a territorial perspective, the tunnel improves the continuity of the road network in one of the country’s largest regions. The G0711 highway facilitates the connection between productive areas in southern Xinjiang and urban and industrial centers in the north, reducing times, logistical costs, and dependence on mountain routes exposed to seasonal interruptions.
In the medium and long term, the infrastructure reinforces Xinjiang’s integration into China’s main land corridors, with a projection toward exchange routes connecting the country with Central Asia and Europe. The project is thus part of a strategy aimed at strengthening physical connectivity, interregional trade, and territorial cohesion.
