22-km Tianshan Shengli Tunnel Completed in China

The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, located in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Northwest China, completed tunneling on Dec. 30, according to gov.cn.
The tunnel is 22.13-km long and is expected to reduce travel times in the Tianshan Mountains from about three hours to about 20 minutes. When it opens to traffic in 2025, the tunnel will connect the northern and southern sections of the autonomous region.
The length of the tunnel puts it among the longest road tunnels in the world, with gov.cn reporting that it is the world’s longest “expressway tunnel.”
According to the website, tunnel construction began in April 2020. Challenges included “extreme cold, high altitudes, high ground stress, strong seismic activity and strict environmental requirements.” In all, the alignment crossed 16 fault zones.
Comments are closed here.