(ECNS) -- A major expressway project crossing the Tianshan Mountains has been approved in Xinjiang, marking a significant step in reshaping the region's transportation network and unlocking economic growth.

The 393.7-kilometer Duku Expressway (G3033) will link Dushanzi in northern Xinjiang with Kuqa in the south, with a design speed of 100 to 120 kilometers per hour. Scheduled for completion in 2032, the project is expected to cut travel time to about five hours, according to Xinjiang Transportation Investment Co., Ltd.

Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2024 shows the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is under construction. (File photo/China News Service)

It is not the first time the Tianshan Mountains have been crossed. Back in 2024, the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel was completed. The 22.13-kilometer route reduces the time it takes to drive across the middle section of the Tianshan Mountains from several hours to about 20 minutes.

By the end of last year, the total length of highways in Xinjiang had exceeded 230,000 kilometers, growing nearly 70-fold, according to Xinhua News Agency. This figure means that if all the roads were laid end to end, they could circle the Earth nearly six times.

In contrast, at the dawn of the People's Republic of China, Xinjiang had only 3,361 kilometers of roads.

Behind the achievement in highway mileage lies a leap in technology. From wind- and sand-resistant techniques on desert roads to frost-heave prevention designs in the Tianshan tunnels, Xinjiang's highway construction has overcome a series of world-class challenges.

On the highway crossing the Taklamakan Desert, a grass-planting technique stabilizes shifting dunes, keeping the road steady. On the G217 Duku Highway across the Tianshan Mountains, an intelligent sentinel system ensures year-round traffic safety.

Now let's look at the railways.

According to Urumqi Municipal Cyberspace Administration, at present, Xinjiang's railway network stretches over 9,557 kilometers, covering more than 80% of the region's county-level administrative areas.

The Lanzhou–Xinjiang High-speed Railway links Urumqi to the national high-speed rail grid. The Hotan–Ruoqiang Railway creates a loop around the Taklamakan Desert from south to north, and the Golmud–Korla Railway has become the third major corridor into and out of Xinjiang.

This transportation revolution is reshaping Xinjiang's economic geography. Northern and southern Xinjiang, once separated by the Tianshan Mountains, now form a five-hour economic circle. Formerly isolated desert-edge cities are gradually connecting into an integrated industrial belt.

Apples picked in Aksu in the morning can be on supermarket shelves in Urumqi by evening. Even yak meat from the Pamir Plateau can reach restaurants in Shanghai the next day via air freight.

Data from the Xinjiang government shows that in 2024, its railway freight volume reached 237 million metric tons, up 10.6% year-on-year.

As this year marks the 70th founding anniversary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, its dramatic transformation owes much to the strong support of national strategies.

As the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang is building an open framework that links domestic and international markets, facilitating two-way connectivity between east and west.

Regional transportation integration is driving economic integration, with cross-border projects such as the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway and China–Pakistan Economic Corridor progressing steadily.

As new expressways link routes across the northern and southern Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, a vast region spanning one-sixth of China's territory, is undergoing a profound transformation.

(By Gong Weiwei)