With rolling wheels and no whistle, a black giant dragon has already stretched its body on the northwest edge of the Taklamakan Desert. For generations of people living in Aksu and Alar, distance is never a scale on the map, but a sigh that still lingers for hours on the lips of fruit farmers. But in this summer of 2026, this concept of time and space will be completely rewritten.

Determination of highway opening time

On June 26, 2026, the Transport Bureau of Aksu Region announced that the G3036 Aksu to Alar Expressway will be fully open for traffic at 11:00 am on July 1, 2026. After the road is opened to traffic, the round-trip time between the two cities will be significantly reduced, which will help promote the integration of military and civilian construction and drive the steady development of regional economic coordination.

Overview of Road Construction

The total investment of G3036 Aksu to Alar Expressway is 5.664 billion yuan, with a total length of 129.83 kilometers. It is constructed according to the specifications of a two-way four lane expressway, with a designed vehicle speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The starting point of the route is located at the Hongqipo Interchange in Aksu, passing through various towns and villages in Wensu County as well as multiple regimental yards of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The endpoint connects to National Highway 217 in Alar City. Two mainline toll stations, Kizil and Alar South, and four ramp toll stations, Gule Awati, Liuyuan, Duolang Lake, and Alar West, will be built along the entire line, covering towns and group yards along the route, making it convenient for people along the route to get on and off the highway.

Positive traffic conditions and operational arrangements

After the road is opened, it only takes about an hour to travel between Aksu and Alar. The route connects the two airports of Hongqipo and Tarim, enhancing the land air transportation capacity and facilitating people's commuting and family visits, agricultural product exports, and tourism travel. The high-speed road will implement segmented traffic rules, and free benefits will be introduced during the initial opening period: from 11:00 on July 1, 2026 to 24:00 on July 14, all types of vehicles can be driven for free; Normal charging standards will resume from midnight on July 15, 2026. This road has been trial opened in sections during the May Day holiday, and through actual operation, supporting facilities have been improved and services have been optimized, laying the foundation for the full line opening. Keywords: Xinjiang, Aksu, Expressway

This highway is a key transportation benchmark project of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, filling the gaps in the southern Xinjiang road network and deepening the integration of military and civilian areas. The transportation regulatory department will continue to implement road maintenance and operational support related work, relying on transportation interconnectivity to achieve the interconnection and coordinated development of military and land resources.Editor/Gong Ziwei