Published : 2025-10-04
On 4th October 1995, the Tarim Desert Highway (塔里木沙漠公路), the first highway built by China in a shifting desert, was officially opened to traffic along its entire length.
Tomur Dawamat (鐵木爾·達瓦買提), the then Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony at kilometre zero of the Tarim Desert Highway.
With a total length of 522 km, the Tarim Desert Highway runs north-south through the Taklamakan Desert, connecting with oilfield roads and National Highway 314 in the north, and linking with National Highway 315 in the south, of which the desert section is 446 km long.
With the technology of the time, building a road on a shifting desert was considered extremely difficult.
At the time, more than 180 scientific researchers conducted 4,405 laboratory tests and 2,361 field tests, collected over 480,000 pieces of observational data, and produced 458 charts and diagrams.
Among them, many of the research breakthroughs also filled gaps in desert highway engineering technology and research on resources and the environment.
After repeated experiments, experts created the "strong base, thin surface" construction technique, which involves first laying out the shape of the roadbed in the desert, then wrapping and securing it with textile fabric, and then compacting it through vibration.
The compressive strength of this type of roadbed exceeds that of an ordinary roadbed, and with this technique, the construction team was able to gradually complete the construction of the Tarim Desert Highway.
After the highway was completed, the journey from Minfeng (民豐) to Urumqi (烏魯木齊) was shortened by more than 1,000 km; travel from counties such as Qiemo (且末) and Ruoqiang (若羌) to places like Urumqi also became much more convenient, which has greatly promoted the economic and social development of southern Xinjiang.
The completion of the Tarim Desert Highway pioneered, not only for China but also for the world, the construction of long-distance highways in shifting deserts.
Like a golden bridge spanning the north and south of the Tarim Basin, the Tarim Desert Highway greatly shortens the transport distance between northern and southern Xinjiang.
It is not only important for accelerating oil and gas exploration and development in the Tarim Basin, but is also of great significance for accelerating the development and construction of the southern Xinjiang region and promoting Xinjiang's economic development.
