Construction of the Yuli-Qiemo highway, the third north-south route running through China's largest desert of Taklimakan, has entered its final phase in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Engineers of the project say that they follow the principle of prioritizing the environment in the construction.

The highway runs across the Tarim River, China's longest inland river. To avoid destroying the desert poplar forest by the river, a 1,290-meter bridge has been built.

Cutting across the world's second-largest shifting sand desert, the highway will connect Qiemo county on the southern edge of the Taklimakan and Yuli county on the north.

Construction of the 330 km-long highway started in October 2017. It's expected to open to traffic in May 2022.

The completion of the highway is expected to improve the transport conditions in southern Xinjiang and promote local development.