China has commenced construction on the 394-kilometer Duku Expressway, a new major highway project in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, designed to enhance year-round travel across the Tianshan Mountains and cut travel times significantly.

• The expressway, with a total investment of 76 billion yuan ($10.68 billion), is scheduled for completeion in 2032 and will become the largest single highway project in Xinjiang.
• Wang Xinghua, deputy director of the region’s transportation department, noted the project is vital to China’s Western Development strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative.
• The design includes environmental protection measures, diverting the route by 15 kilometers to bypass the core and experimental zones of the Bayanbulak National Nature Reserve.