Shing Mun Tunnels, Road tunnels in Shing Mun, Hong Kong

The Shing Mun Tunnels are a road passage with two wide tubes that run underneath the hills between Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan. They feature two lanes in each direction within each tube, with two massive concrete bridges connecting the tunnel sections across the Shing Mun Gorge.

The tunnels were built starting in 1987 and opened to the public in 1990, linking Tsuen Wan on the west side to Sha Tin on the east. They were developed as part of a larger road network that connected the northern parts of the New Territories and sped up travel in this fast-growing region.

The name was approved by the Sha Tin District Board on 19 May 1987, before construction finished. The toll plaza at the Tsuen Wan end also holds a bus interchange opened on 25 May 1991, where passengers on routes through the tunnels change buses under a sectional fare arrangement. From 1992, New Territories taxis were allowed to use the tunnels, but not via Tai Chung Kiu Road or Fo Tan Road.

The speed limit is normally 70 kilometers per hour (45 miles per hour), which allows traffic to flow smoothly and safely. During rush hours or bad weather, traffic can slow down, so it helps to plan extra time if you drive during peak times.

The two tunnel sections are joined by viaducts over Lower Shing Mun Reservoir, so drivers cross open water between the bores. The tunnels take their name from Smuggler's Ridge, which the western pair passes beneath near Shing Mun Reservoir. A 1989 charity walk drew nearly 15,000 people through the tunnel before it opened.