The Mount Erlang Tunnel is a road tunnel along Sichuan-Tibet Highway (China National Highway 318), which connects China's Sichuan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region. The tunnel is 4,176 meters long and was dug through Mount Erlang in Sichuan Province.[1]

Mount Erlang Tunnel
The tunnel in 2010.
The tunnel in 2010.
Overview
RouteChina National Highway 318
Operation
OpenedDecember 8, 1999 (1999-12-08)
2018 (2018)
Technical
Length13,433 metres (44,071.5 ft)
No. of lanes2
Erlangshan Tunnel Road Sign

It opened on December 8, 1999. Construction took three years and cost 470 million yuan (56.6 million US dollars).

It was built to reduce time and replaces one of the most dangerous parts of the highway, which had frequent accidents because of landslides, rain and foggy weather.[1]

New Tunnel edit

Erlangshan extra-long tunnel under the same mountain was completed in 2018. It is a part of the Yakang Expressway and has a total length of 13 433 metres, making it the 11th longest road tunnel in the world as of 2021.[2] The tunnel passes through several seismic fault zones and its deeperts parts are 1 500 metres underground.[3] At its western end, the tunnel links up with the Xingkang Bridge.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Xinhua (1999-12-09). "Business: Tunnel Along Sichuan-Tibet Highway Opens". People's Daily Online. People's Daily. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
  2. ^ Gunnar Lotsberg. "The World's longest Road Tunnels". Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  3. ^ ChinaNews. "Costa Rican journalist praises China "Super Project" Yakang Expressway". Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  4. ^ "Xingkang Bridge on Google Maps". Retrieved 2021-02-03.

See also edit

29°50′50″N 102°17′29″E / 29.8472°N 102.2914°E / 29.8472; 102.2914