The world’s tallest bridge standing at 2,051ft above river level is set to open this summer. It will cross a huge canyon and cut travel time over it from from two hours to just one minute.
The incredible structure will open in Guizhou, southwest China, on June 30. Construction work began on January 18, 2022, to build the bridge which will cross the Huajiang Grand Canyon.
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge will be 947ft taller than the current tallest bridge in the world, the Millau Viaduct in France. According to Guizhou local state media, it is now 95% finished and, once completed, will represent “China’s infrastructure strength”.
The bridge, built from steel, will have a total length of 9,482ft. It is expected to weigh around 22,000 tons – the equivalent to three Eiffel towers.
It currently takes around two hours to cross the canyon around winding roads. However, the new bridge will cut this journey time down to around one minute.
This will increase connectivity between cities and lower transportation costs for businesses. It comes as part of China’s nationwide push to improve infrastructure.
Guizhou province is a mountainous areas of China with complex terrain. It’s currently home to nearly half of the top 100 tallest bridges in the world.
Zhang Shenglin, chief engineer of Guizhou Highway Group, told the state-run newspaper China Daily: “At present, the overall progress of the bridge has reached 95%, and it is planned to be opened to traffic in the second half of 2025.
“By then, this super project that spans the ‘earth crack’ will be the world’s first in both directions. It will become another landmark project to demonstrate China’s infrastructure strength.”
