Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge Opens, Sets New World Height Record

China’s newly constructed Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge officially opened to traffic on the morning of September 28, marking a milestone in the country’s infrastructure program. The bridge spans a deep canyon in Guizhou Province and now holds the record as the world’s tallest in terms of deck-to-ground height.

The structure reaches a vertical height of 625 meters, surpassing the former record held by the Beipanjiang Bridge (565 meters) in the same province. Measuring 2,890 meters in total length with a main span of 1,420 meters, it is also now the largest span bridge erected in a mountainous region, according to Chinese authorities.

Construction on the Huajiang Bridge began in 2022. Throughout the build, engineers reported utilizing advanced methods tailored to a high-altitude, steep terrain environment. Among these were an intelligent cable hoisting system and the use of 2,000 MPa high-strength steel wire. The project was credited with securing 21 patents for innovations in wind resistance, high-altitude construction techniques, and other critical engineering domains.

The opening of the bridge is set to drastically reduce travel time across the canyon. Previously, it took up to two hours to journey between the two banks through winding mountain roads. Now the crossing is reduced to approximately two minutes.