Photo taken on Nov. 5, 2020 shows the Mainling Section of  Pad-Medog Highway in Nyingchi City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. [Xinhua/ Dong Zhixiong]   

The Gonpa-la Tunnel, an important project of the highway connecting Pad Town and Medog County (Pad-Medog Highway) in Nyingchi City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, was completed at 10:16 on May 16. The project took nearly 7 years, 228 days ahead of schedule.

The highway, with a total length of 67.22 km, passes through the Doxong La Mountain, Hanmi and Gonpa-la, then arrives at Baibung Town of Medog County. It was invested and constructed by the China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. with a total estimated investment of about 2.015 billion yuan RMB. The project was approved to start construction in 2014 and was scheduled to be completed and open to traffic by the end of 2022.

Yang Yunxiang, the secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the Huaneng Nyingchi Hydropower Company, said that in the process of highway construction, the company adhered to the concept of ecological priority and green development, and poured 110 million yuan RMB into environmental and water conservation, far exceeding the planned 75.39 million yuan RMB, so as to build the highway into "the most beautiful ecological highway in China".

The highway is the second major passageway to Medog County, following the first one connecting Zhamog Town of Bome County and Medog County. After completion, the road length from Nyingchi City to Medog County can be shortened from 346 km to 180 km, cutting travel time by about 8 hours, which effectively accelerates the significant development of local tourism, commerce, agriculture and animal husbandry, consolidates achievements in poverty alleviation, and promotes rural revitalization.