Construction of a 67km highway passing through the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon was recently completed in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Once open to traffic, the road length connecting the city of Nyingchi and Medog County will be shortened to 180km, cutting travel time by eight hours.
The road was built on the former hiking route between Nyingchi’s Pad township and Baibung township in Medog County, with an altitude difference of up to 2,892m between the highest and lowest spots of the road. It is the second significant passageway to Medog, following the first one connecting the county with Zhamog Township in Bomi County. Once opened, the new road will allow travel time between various destinations within Tibet to also be cut down dramatically.
Known as the world’s deepest canyon, the 504km-long Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon starts in Mainling County and ends in Medog County. With a maximum depth of 6,009m, the canyon features rich unique species and plateau scenery. It is the largest water vapour transmission channel on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
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