An aerial drone photo shows an exterior view of Tianshan Shengli Tunnel on Urumqi-Yuli Expressway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 26, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

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.