China has completed the construction of the world's longest expressway tunnel, Tianshan Shengli, that will link the southern and northern parts of the Xinjiang autonomous region, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.
The 14-mile tunnel is expected to reduce travel time across the middle section of the Tianshan Mountains from several hours to about 20 minutes once in operation in 2025, the news agency reported.
The project is also crucial for the regional capital of Urumqi in northern Xinjiang and Yuli County in southern Xinjiang, cutting travel time between the two locations from about seven hours to just over three hours, the report said.