URUMQI, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world's longest expressway tunnel, completed tunneling Monday morning, paving the way for the opening of a new shortcut linking southern and northern parts of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

　　The 22.13-kilometer tunnel, "Shengli," which means "victory" in Chinese, 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.

　　It is a key project of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, which runs from the regional capital of Urumqi in northern Xinjiang to Yuli County in southern Xinjiang. The expressway is expected to be fully completed and open to traffic in 2025. The driving time between the two locations will be reduced from about seven hours to just over three hours.