The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou province has achieved a major milestone, with the final steel truss segment—an impressive 215 metric tons—hoisted into place this past Friday.
This milestone marks the structural closure of the bridge and paves the way for its scheduled opening in late 2025, when it will become the world's tallest bridge.
Soaring 2,050 feet above the Beipan River, the 0.9-mile-long bridge rises an impressive nine times higher than San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
Why This Matters
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is set to become the highest bridge in the world upon completion. Beyond its record-breaking status, the bridge is expected to transform regional connectivity and boost tourism in the region.
By cutting travel time across the canyon from an hour to just two minutes, the bridge will strengthen economic ties and drive growth in neighboring cities, including Guiyang and Anshun, according to the state-owned newspaper China Daily.
What To Know
Construction began in 2022, overcoming significant challenges posed by the rugged terrain of the Huajiang Canyon.
The project's main load-bearing steel truss structure consists of 93 segments, weighing a total of 22,000 tons—equivalent to the weight of two Eiffel Towers.
In total, the bridge is reported to have cost $280 million.
What Is the Tallest Bridge in the World?
The title currently belongs to the Beipanjiang Bridge, also located in Guizhou province, around 200 miles north of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge. It stands 565 meters above the Beipan River and serves as a connection between Guizhou and Yunnan provinces.
This cable-stayed bridge supports four lanes of traffic and has held the record for the highest bridge deck since its completion in 2016.
What People Are Saying
Chen Jianlei, deputy director of the Guizhou Transport Department, told China Daily: "The completion of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge will strengthen economic ties between Guiyang, Anshun and Qianxinan, fostering regional economic integration."
Alimak, a Stockholm-based company that provided equipment for the construction, previously said the project had faced significant challenges because of its location: "Being in a plateau region intensifies atmospheric temperature differences between day and night, leading to the likelihood of severe convective weather and consistent valley winds throughout the year."
What Happens Next
With 80 percent of the bridge's main construction complete, the next phase involves installing panel segments between the trusses. This is scheduled to resume after the Chinese New Year.
The bridge is expected to open in the latter half of this year.
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