Fourth highway opens in China's largest desert

A new highway traversing the Taklamakan Desert in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was put into operation. The highway connects the city of Tumxuk with the city of Kunyu. 　

It is the fourth highway across the Taklimakan Desert, the world's second-largest shifting-sand desert. The highway has a total length of 276 km, with 249 km passing through the desert. 　

The construction of the highway began in early 2022. Crossing a populus euphratica national forest park is the most challenging task while protecting the local natural environment. The project finally adopted a viaduct to cross the poplar forest. 　 The travel time between the two cities will be reduced from six to three hours once the highway opens, which can promote the economic exchanges between the two cities and promote the development of tourism and other industries along the route.