China Opens 22.13 km Tianshan Shengli Tunnel in Xinjiang, Claimed as World's Longest Expressway Tunnel

Traffic began flowing through the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on December 26, 2025. At 22.13 kilometres, the twin-tube highway tunnel has been recognised as the world's longest expressway tunnel.

The structure passes beneath the central section of the Tianshan Mountains, connecting the northern and southern parts of Xinjiang. It forms a central element of the G0711 Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, a 324.7-kilometre route that required an investment of 46.7 billion yuan (about $6.63 billion). The full expressway includes 17 tunnels and numerous bridges, with some segments showing a bridge-tunnel ratio exceeding 90 per cent.

Construction lasted roughly 52 months under demanding geological conditions, including 16 geofracture zones and high ground pressure. Builders employed domestically developed rock-drilling equipment and divided the project into sections to manage complexity and shorten the schedule by around 25 per cent. The tunnel also holds the record for the deepest vertical shaft associated with a highway project.

Song Hailiang, chairman of China Communications Construction Company, which led the work, confirmed that the tunnel set two world records as the longest expressway tunnel and the deepest highway shaft. Guinness World Records has certified the length achievement.

The new passage reduces travel time between Urumqi in northern Xinjiang and Korla in the south from about seven hours to roughly three hours. Drivers now cross the central Tianshan Mountains in approximately 20 minutes instead of several hours on older routes.