Despite summer desert temperatures soaring up to 70 degrees Celsius, China is continuing to construct a mega-project: the highway traversing the Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in the country.
China is currently building a highway that extends over 150 kilometers through the Taklimakan Desert in the northwest region of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The road runs along the western part of the Taramqi County, linking the town of Tazhong in the heart of the desert with National Highway G315 to the south. Regarded as a mega-project, this new road is expected to become a branch of the cross-desert Lunmin Expressway.
Spanning 1,000 kilometers and 400 kilometers wide, the Taklimakan is the second-largest shifting sand desert in the world. Eighty-five percent of the desert consists of shifting sand dunes. Therefore, constructing a highway across such a desert presents a significant challenge.
Sandstorms and temperature fluctuations complicate construction efforts (Image taken from the clip).
The significant temperature differences and adverse weather conditions make the work complex. In the summer, the highest temperatures in the region can reach 70 degrees Celsius. Mr. Li Panfeng, the chief engineer of the project, stated that the biggest challenge remains working under severe sandstorms, particularly during April and May each year.
To prevent sand from covering the road, engineers have planted trees along the roadside to stabilize the sand layer. They have also constructed a massive irrigation system, pumping water from underground to irrigate the plants. Maintenance stations are set up every 4 kilometers along the route. Construction of the project began on February 26, 2022, and is expected to be completed by October 2023.
This is a challenging project as it is built across the largest desert in China. (Image taken from the clip).
