URUMQI -- The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world's longest expressway tunnel, will be open to traffic by the end of this year, enabling a new shortcut linking southern and northern parts of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Speaking at a press conference held by the Information Office of the Xinjiang regional government on Thursday, Guo Sheng, deputy director of the transport department said the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway that traverses the Tianshan Mountains via the tunnel is expected to alleviate a traffic bottleneck that has long hindered the coordinated development of Xinjiang's northern and southern areas.

The 22.13-kilometer tunnel will reduce the time it takes to drive across the middle section of the Tianshan Mountains from several hours to about 20 minutes.

Once operational, the travel time from the regional capital of Urumqi, north of the Tianshan Mountains, to Korla, south of the Tianshan Mountains, will be shortened from seven hours to about three hours.