China broke ground on Saturday for a new expressway that traverses the Tianshan Mountains in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, with the aim of opening a new artery that allows year-round, all-weather travel in the area.

The 394-kilometer Duku Expressway, scheduled for completion in 2032, will be built with a total investment of 76 billion yuan ($10.68 billion), making it the largest single highway project in Xinjiang.

It will extend from Dushanzi in northern Xinjiang to Kuqa in the south. With a design speed of 100 to 120 kilometers per hour, it will cut travel time between the region's north and south from more than 10 hours at present to five hours and connect well-known attractions such as the Narat grasslands and Bayanbulak Swan Lake.

The existing Duku Highway, built in 1983 and stretching 561 kilometers, is widely deemed as one of China's most beautiful roads, winding through landscapes such as glaciers, forests, grasslands and gorges. However, it is only operational for four months a year due to heavy snowfall and road icing. Its limited capacity, shaped by the technical conditions of its time, has long restricted traffic flow.

Wang Xinghua, deputy director of the region's transportation department, said the Duku Expressway is a key project under China's Western Development strategy and a vital infrastructure project of the Belt and Road Initiative.

It will enhance the national highway network and establish a crucial economic corridor between northern and southern Xinjiang, fostering economic exchanges, tourism development and regional coordination, Wang said.

Lu Xinhu, deputy manager of Xinjiang Transportation Investment Group, said the expressway will greatly improve connectivity in the region. The expressway's fast transit, alongside the existing leisurely and scenic travel on the Duku Highway, will create a new tourism model and serve as a new engine for regional growth, he added.

The construction of the expressway faces several challenges due to high altitude, complex geological conditions and harsh climate. Lu said the construction will rely on advanced tunneling techniques and cold-resistant materials.

Environmental protection has also been integral to the project's planning. A straight route would have meant the expressway cutting through the Bayanbulak Grassland, China's largest subalpine meadow.

It is home to the Bayanbulak National Nature Reserve and the Kaidu River's National Aquatic Germplasm Resources Reserve, both vital habitats for terrestrial and aquatic species.

"Taking a straight route would have meant the shortest distance and lowest cost," said Yang Song, deputy head of the First Highway Design Institute at Xinjiang Transportation Planning, Survey and Design Institute, who participated in the survey and design work. "But building a road inside the reserve, even with bridges, would still damage the local ecosystem," he added.

So the expressway was designed to bypass the core and experimental zones of the reserves, which meant a diversion of 15 kilometers, Yang said.

Local residents have welcomed the building of the Duku Expressway, noting that it will make travel possible in all seasons, especially during harsh winter months, across the Tianshan Mountains. Some travelers praised the complementary value of both routes — the new expressway for efficient transit and the current highway for leisurely scenic journeys.

Bayankexike, a herder from Narat township, told Xinhua News Agency the expressway is something that had been much awaited. "In the past, winter snow would cut us off. It was hard to get medical treatment or buy supplies. The expressway will make life much easier."

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

According to "CPC Guidelines for Governing Xinjiang in the New Era: Practice and Achievements", a white paper released on Friday by the State Council Information Office, the region has seen accelerated development of culture and tourism industry. Spurred by a growing interest in road trips and special interest tours, routes like the Duku Highway have emerged as popular destinations.

The white paper also noted the region's enhanced infrastructure development. Xinjiang's transportation network has largely improved, with all prefectures and over 90 percent of administrative areas at county level connected by highways, totaling 230,000 kilometers as of 2024. Meanwhile, the region's railway network reached 9,202 kilometers as of 2024, nearly double the 2012 figure.

Mao Weihua in Urumqi and Xinhua contributed to this story.

guoyanqi@chinadaily.com.cn