On October 9, 2026, significant progress was made on the G3033 Kuitun Dushanzi Kuche Expressway. The key control projects of the entire line, the Kezhayi Tunnel and the Yuximolege Tunnel, have successfully entered the tunnel operation, and the main construction of the tunnel has officially started.

The two 15 kilometer long tunnels, Kezhayi and Yuximolege, crossing the northern Tianshan section, are underground arteries connecting the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains and are key control projects of the G3033 Kuiduku Expressway.

The Kezhayi Tunnel is located in Ili Prefecture, with a total length of 15.025 kilometers and a maximum burial depth of about 1652 meters; The Yuximolege Tunnel spans Ili and Bazhou, with a total length of 15.493 kilometers and a maximum burial depth of about 1355 meters. Both tunnels need to pass through the main veins of the Tianshan Mountains, with extreme winter temperatures reaching -40 ℃ and extremely complex geological conditions. Crossing over twenty fractured zones, there are various adverse geological conditions such as rock bursts, large deformations of soft rocks, high-pressure water surges, and harmful gases.

Two extra long tunnels are equipped with 4 inclined shafts and 7 inclined shafts. The main tunnel working face is opened through the inclined shafts to speed up the construction progress through short cutting of the long tunnel, while supporting the full process mechanized drilling and blasting method construction.

Song Wenzheng, the commander of the G3033 Kuiduku Expressway Tianzhong Garrison Command, introduced that the project uses fully mechanized equipment as the carrier, combined with large models to achieve advanced geological analysis and intelligent blasting design, connect equipment data links, build an intelligent construction system, and solve multiple complex geological problems in tunnel excavation.

The G3033 Kuiduku Expressway starts from Kuitun City, connects to the G30 Lianhuo Expressway, passes through Dushanzi, Wusu, Nileke, Xinyuan, Hejing, Kuche and other places, and ends at Kuche City, connecting to the G3012 Tuhe Expressway. It is built according to the standard of a two-way four lane expressway and has a total length of about 393 kilometers. It is currently the largest single investment and most technically difficult expressway project under construction in China. After the completion of the G3033 Kuiduku Expressway, the north and south of Tianshan will achieve all-weather traffic throughout the year, and the travel time is expected to be shortened from about 14 hours to 4 hours, further releasing the comprehensive benefits of this transportation corridor.Editor/Gong Ziwei