World‍‍`s longest expressway tunnel opens to traffic in China‍‍`s Xinjiang

The 22.13-km Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world‍‍`s longest expressway tunnel, officially opened to traffic on Friday.

Traversing the central Tianshan Mountains in northwest China‍‍`s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the tunnel slashes what was once a several-hour mountain drive to just 20 minutes.

As a vital artery linking city clusters in northern and southern Xinjiang, the G0711 Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, including the tunnel, entered operation on the same day.