The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel with a total length of 22.1 kilometers is not only the throat project of the Urumqi-Yili Expressway, but also the longest tunnel under construction in the world. In order to open up the Tianshan Mountains, the builders faced many difficulties such as complex geological conditions, difficult construction, and high safety risks. Come and see how the builders in the Tianshan Mountains overcome difficulties and turn natural dangers into avenues.

The Tianshan Mountains, one of the seven major mountain systems in the world, are like a huge barrier, dividing the vast Xinjiang into two halves, the north and the south. The average width of the Tianshan Mountains reaches 300 kilometers, and it took nearly half an hour for the plane to fly over the Tianshan Mountains. And Chinese builders are working on an unusual super project. They want to build a highway across the Tianshan Mountains. Among them, the most difficult thing is to open a 22-kilometer-long tunnel in the Tianshan Mountains.

Tianshan Victory Tunnel

On April 11, 2023, with the rumble of the cutter head of the TBM hard rock tunnel boring machine and the sound of blasting in the main tunnel, the entrance of the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world's longest highway tunnel under construction, ushered in an important construction node . Up to now, the cumulative excavation footage of the left hole has reached 5,133 meters, the cumulative footage of the right hole has been 4,854 meters, the cumulative footage of the middle pilot tunnel has reached 8,042 meters, and the cumulative footage of the three holes has reached 18,029 meters, successfully breaking through the 18-kilometer mark, marking the victory of Tianshan Phased success in tunnel construction.

G0711 Line Wuwei Expressway

The G0711 line Wuwei Expressway is an important project to promote the construction of the transportation hub center in the core area of the Belt and Road Initiative. The project crosses the Tianshan Mountains and connects the northern and southern Xinjiang. It is of great significance to promote the economic and social development of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the great integration of ethnic groups. Its control project Tianshan Shengli Tunnel has a total length of about 22.1 kilometers. It is the world's largest expressway tunnel under construction. It is also a typical extra-long, alpine, and high-altitude road tunnel in the expressway. High, the tunnel adopts the construction method of three holes + four shafts, and the entrance and exit of the middle pilot tunnel are excavated in opposite directions by two TBM hard rock roadheaders, Tianshan and Shengli. Multiple auxiliary working faces can realize long-distance tunnel drilling, which can greatly shorten the construction period. It is reported that this technology is applied for the first time in the construction of expressway tunnels in China.

The construction of the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel adopts opposite excavation at both ends of the entrance and exit. The Wuwei project of China Communications Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. undertakes the construction task at the entrance. With the concept of high-quality development, the goal of promoting the integration of ethnic groups in the north and south of Xinjiang as soon as possible, and the mission of building a good project to promote the economic development of Xinjiang, we will overcome difficulties such as harsh climate, many geological fault zones, short effective construction period, and remote transportation, and take root in the Tianshan Mountains, Struggling hard, fighting hard on the Tianshan Mountains at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters. For the smooth completion of the overall construction plan, all construction personnel, with the overall situation in mind and selfless dedication, will not stop working on festivals. After the festival, the project personnel have clear goals and unite as one. Achieve a good start in the first quarter.

It is understood that the successful completion of this node marked a new starting point for the project construction and laid a solid foundation for the early completion of the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel. Editor/He Yuting