"The world's longest 22.13‑kilometre (approx. 14 miles) Tianshan Shengli Tunnel expressway tunnel opened to traffic on Friday. Footage shows the historic tunnel, lined with mountain murals, cutting through snow-covered ranges of Tianshan Mountains. With its record length, the tunnel significantly cuts down an hours-long drive through the mountains to just about 20 minutes. The new expressway in addition cuts travel time between Urumqi in the north and Korla in the south of the Tianshan Mountains from seven hours to about three. According to officials, it also breaks the world's record for the deepest highway shaft. With reduced logistics costs and the stabilisation of production lines of local factories, the initiative looks forward to boosting economic integration across Xinjiang and opening new routes for external exchange. According to local media, the tunnel's 22.13‑kilometre length and maximum depth of 1,112.2 metres posed significant engineering challenges. Construction had to account for 16 fault zones as well as high ground stress, strong seismic activity, strict environmental standards, extreme cold and high altitude. The entire project kicked off in April 2020, runs 324.7 kilometres and costs 46.7 billion yuan (approximately $6.63 billion)."