The Tarim Desert Highway ( Chinese : 塔里木沙漠公路 ; pinyin : Tǎlǐmù Shāmò Gōnglù ), also known as the Cross-Desert Highway ( CDH ) or Taklamakan Desert Highway , crosses the Taklamakan Desert in China. There are now three highways: two main highways and one branch highway.
6-527: The Lunmin Highway links the cities of Luntai ( Chinese : 轮台 ) on National Highway 314 and Minfeng ( Chinese : 民丰 ) on National Highway 315 , on the northern and southern edges of the Tarim Basin . The total length of the highway is 552 km (343 mi), approximately 446 km (277 mi) of which crosses uninhabited areas covered by shifting sand dunes , making it the longest such highway in
12-630: Is a branch highway, connecting Tazhong ( Chinese : 塔中 ) on the Lunmin Highway, above, with Qiemo ( Chinese : 且末 ) in the southeast direction on National Highway 315. It opened in 2002, and is called the autonomous region's S233 Highway. The Ahe Highway, 424 km (263 mi) long, opened in 2007, starts from Aral ( Chinese : 阿拉尔 ) on National Highway 314, west of the historical town of Kucha ( Chinese : 库车 ), in Aksu Prefecture ( Chinese : 阿克苏地区 ), goes southward along
18-569: The Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture . It contains an area of 14,189 km (5,478 sq mi). According to the 2002 census, it has a population of 90,000. Luntai has a long history associated with China. When the city refused aid to Li Guangli 's Fergana campaign (c. 101 BC), the inhabitants were slaughtered. Around 80 BC, a military colony of the Han dynasty was established on
24-506: The Hetian River , and ends in Hetian ( Chinese : 和田 ) on National Highway 315. 38°54′N 83°49′E / 38.900°N 83.817°E / 38.900; 83.817 Luntai County Luntai County , also known as Bugur County or Bügür County ( transliterated from Mongolian ), is a county in central Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region under the administration of
30-425: The vegetation along the highway. Every four kilometers along the road there is a maintenance shed for keeping a belt of shrubs along the road irrigated, which protects the road against moving sand. At the halfway point along the desert highway, there are a few restaurants and a gas station. Except for pump house maintenance workers, the region is entirely uninhabited. The Taqie Highway, 156 km (97 mi) long,
36-467: The world. Construction on the highway began in 1993 because of expansion in the petroleum industry, requiring fast shipping across the Taklamakan desert. Construction was completed in 1995. To prevent the shifting sands from covering the highway, bushes and other vegetation were planted next to the highway to anchor the sand with their roots. A massive irrigation system was constructed to pump water for
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