China's longest underwater highway tunnel opens to vehicles

Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Officials in a Chinese province said the country's longest underwater tunnel, which stretches 6.65 miles beneath Lake Taihu, has opened after nearly four years of construction.

Jiangsu Province officials announced the tunnel, located east of Shanghai, officially opened to vehicle traffic in both directions.

The tunnel, which is about 57 feet wide, features six lanes of traffic running under colorful LED lights designed to prevent fatigue in drivers using the passage.

The tunnel, part of the Changzhou-Wuxi Highway, began construction Jan. 9, 2018, and cost about $1.56 billion to build.

The world's longest underwater highway tunnel, Norway's Ryfast tunnel, runs a length of 8.8 miles to connect the cities of Stavanger and Strand.