Please solve the programming task below using a self-contained code snippet in a markdown code block.

Given the root of a binary tree, return the length of the longest path, where each node in the path has the same value. This path may or may not pass through the root.
The length of the path between two nodes is represented by the number of edges between them.
 
Please complete the following python code precisely:
```python
# Definition for a binary tree node.
# class TreeNode:
#     def __init__(self, val=0, left=None, right=None):
#         self.val = val
#         self.left = left
#         self.right = right
class Solution:
    def longestUnivaluePath(self, root: Optional[TreeNode]) -> int:
```