(TibetanReview.net, Oct04’23) – China marked a major progress in the construction in occupied Tibet of the Lhasa-Shigatse Expressway on Oct 1 with the completion of the boring of the longest tunnel on it, according to China’s official news.cgtn.com Oct 3.
Located in Rinbung County in the city of Shigatse, with an average altitude of 3,760 meters, the 4.6-kilometer-long Padangshan Tunnel is a difficult but crucial project for the second phase of the expressway, the report said.
The project will link Tibet’s capital Lhasa with Shigatse Airport.
During the construction process, the builders had to overcome rock fragmentation, intense heat and other difficulties, the report said.
Like Shigatse Airport, the project has major strategic implications since the prefecture-level city shares border with Nepal, India and Bhutan.