OREANDA-NEWS The laying of the world's longest high-speed automobile tunnel, the Tian Shan Shengli, was completed on Monday in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, the Xinhua News Agency reports.

After commissioning, the 22.13-kilometer tunnel will reduce the travel time through the central part of the Tianshan Mountains from several hours to about 20 minutes. The tunnel will connect the northern and southern parts of the autonomous region.

According to the agency, traffic on the road will be fully opened in 2025. The travel time between the administrative center of the district, Urumqi in the north and Lopal County in the south, will be reduced from about seven hours to just over three hours.