Travelling the strategic China National Highway 580
China National Highway 580 (G580) is the name of a strategic mountain road located in the Xinjiang autonomous region of China, in the northwest of the country, close to Central Asia.
Set high in the Kunlun Mountains, the road is totally paved. It opened in 2022. It’s 256.667km (159.071 miles) long and runs northeast to southwest, from Hotan to Kangxiwar. The route traverses the Hindutash through a tunnel. Located in the western Xinjiang, the road features 8915.2m of tunnels and 1.700m of bridges.
Known as the Hotan-Kangxiwa highway, it’s said to be China’s most strategic road, because it has significantly reduced the travel time and distance of the Chinese Army to the LAC. With the construction of this highway, China’s access to Ladakh has been strengthened. The construction of the road was really challenging and construction workers needed to defy cold weather and oxygen deficiency.
Road suggested by: Hugh Wilson
Pic&video: The Paper 澎湃新闻
Map: By 瑞丽江的河水 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=100134531