Overview
- China opened the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel to traffic on December 26, with state media billing the 22.13-kilometer route as the world's longest highway or expressway tunnel.
- The tunnel forms a key segment of the newly operational G0711 Urumqi–Yuli Expressway, which state outlets report has begun service the same day.
- Xinhua reports the full expressway spans 324.7 kilometers and cost 46.7 billion yuan, strengthening the transport link between northern and southern Xinjiang.
- Project backers say the tunnel crosses 16 major fault zones and was built in severe cold and high-altitude conditions, with claims of record depth for a highway tunnel vertical shaft.
- A three-episode documentary titled The Youth Moving Mountains, co-produced by Xinjiang Radio and Television Station and Xufang International Media and hosted by Jack Klumpp, highlights the build and profiles section director Dong Jialiang at the No. 2 shaft at 3,613 meters.