More than four years after they started, construction crews in western China have bored through more than 22km of mountain rock to complete a milestone in the world’s longest expressway tunnel.
The crews working on the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel punched through the final section of rock in the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Monday morning, more than a year and a half ahead of schedule, state media reported.
The 22.1km (13.7-mile) expressway tunnel is expected to be the longest of its kind, and improve links within the region and with neighbouring countries.
The mountain range divides Xinjiang into north and south, and the tunnel will cut travel time between the two areas from about three hours to just 20 minutes.
Work started on the project in April 2020, with crews deploying boring machines built specifically for the job.