The main construction projects for the first desert-crossing expressway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was completed on November 19, marking a big step toward its full operation by the end of 2021. The 343km-long S21 Altay-Urumqi Expressway, linking Altay Prefecture and the regional capital city of Urumqi, runs more than 150 kilometers through the desert. With a designed speed of 120 kilometers per hour, the expressway is expected to shorten the travel time to four hours.