China Builds Second Largest Road Tunnel in The World, Stretching 22 km and Costing R$ 20.3 Billion!

Written by Roberta Souza

Published on 02/01/2025 at 18:19

O Túnel Tian Shan Shengli, com extensão de 22,13 km, é um marco na engenharia e na infraestrutura do país! – Foto/reprodução: Xinhua

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The Tian Shan Shengli Highway Tunnel, With a Length of 22.13 Km, Is a Milestone in Engineering and Infrastructure of the Country!

The construction of the Tian Shan Shengli Tunnel, now recognized as the largest highway tunnel in the world, represents a great achievement for China.

With an impressive length of 22.13 km, the tunnel connects the north and south of Xinjiang, the largest Chinese province in land area.

The work was completed after 8 years of intensive labor, involving approximately 3,000 dedicated workers.

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Significant Investment in Infrastructure

The total cost of the project was estimated at around US$ 3.5 billion, an investment that reflects China’s ambition to modernize its road infrastructure.

This substantial amount is indicative of the Chinese government’s commitment to improving connectivity and facilitating the transportation of goods in the region.

Before the tunnel’s construction, trucks were forced to traverse narrow and winding roads, resulting in long and dangerous trips that lasted several hours.

Now, with the Tian Shan Shengli Tunnel, trucks will be able to cross the mountain range in just 20 minutes, using a fast and safe route.

Engineering Challenges Faced During the Construction of the Tian Shan Shengli Tunnel

One of the main challenges faced by engineers during the construction was the building of ventilation tower number 2, which reaches 706 meters deep.

This structure is taller than the famous Shanghai Tower, the tallest skyscraper in China, highlighting the complexity of the project.

Additionally, the work was carried out under extreme weather conditions, with temperatures ranging from -40°C in winter to +40°C in summer.

The tunnel traverses an inhospitable and desert region, demonstrating how engineering can overcome natural challenges, providing significant benefits to the local and national economy.

With the completion of the Tian Shan Shengli Highway Tunnel, it is expected that the transport of goods between different parts of Xinjiang province will become more efficient.

highway tunnel - china - construction — The Tian Shan Shengli Highway Tunnel, with a length of 22.13 km, is a milestone in engineering and infrastructure of the country! – Photo/reproduction: LIU JUN/FOR CHINA DAILY

The reduction in travel time will not only facilitate the flow of products but also boost commerce in the region.

It is estimated that the new infrastructure could increase transportation capacity by up to 30%, benefiting the logistics sector, according to the automotive news site.

Strategic Importance for China

This project is a clear example of how, through construction and innovation, it is possible to transform complex challenges into development opportunities.

China continues to stand out in large-scale projects, showing that ambition and engineering can go hand in hand to create lasting solutions.

The construction of the Tian Shan Shengli Highway Tunnel is not just a technical victory, but also a strategic achievement, aligned with China’s economic development plans, aiming to connect remote regions and promote sustainable growth in less developed areas.

China Builds Second Largest Road Tunnel in The World, Stretching 22 km and Costing R$ 20.3 Billion!

The Tian Shan Shengli Highway Tunnel, With a Length of 22.13 Km, Is a Milestone in Engineering and Infrastructure of the Country!

Significant Investment in Infrastructure

Engineering Challenges Faced During the Construction of the Tian Shan Shengli Tunnel

Strategic Importance for China

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China Builds Second Largest Road Tunnel in The World, Stretching 22 km and Costing R$ 20.3 Billion!

The Tian Shan Shengli Highway Tunnel, With a Length of 22.13 Km, Is a Milestone in Engineering and Infrastructure of the Country!

Significant Investment in Infrastructure

Engineering Challenges Faced During the Construction of the Tian Shan Shengli Tunnel

Economic and Social Impact of the New Highway Tunnel

Strategic Importance for China

The Soviet Union spent 22 years drilling into the Earth’s crust and reached a depth of 12,262 meters — they found water where it was thought impossible, hydrogen bubbling from the rock, granite that is 2.7 billion years old, and temperatures of 180 degrees that melted the drill bits.

Norway is drilling 27 kilometers of rock 392 meters below the bottom of a fjord to build the world’s largest and deepest underwater road tunnel — when completed, a 21-hour journey will be reduced to 10.

Chinese engineers begin filling a 217-meter dam at an altitude of 3,000 meters and prepare a 2,240 MW hydroelectric power plant to integrate hydropower, solar, and wind energy in the upper Jinsha.

A German architect built a cylindrical house in 1994 that rotates to follow the sun throughout the day, generates 5 times more energy than it consumes, and was the world’s first energy-positive house.

An astronaut spent 340 days in space while his twin brother stayed on Earth, and NASA found a “rejuvenating” effect, genes, microbiome, cognition, and immune system that revealed the biological cost of living outside the planet.

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Hydrogen-powered underwater drone makes history by traveling 2,024 km without surfacing, demonstrating how deep-sea missions can become much longer, cheaper, and almost uninterrupted in the near future.

The UN declared in January 2026 that the world entered an era of “water bankruptcy,” a state beyond crisis, in which compacted aquifers, vanished lakes, and rivers that have become seasonal can no longer recover to historical levels.

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