The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in China's Guizhou province is now open.
It is now the world's tallest bridge, not by structure, but by terrifying, record-breaking drop. Spanning 625 metres above the Beipan River canyon, this suspension bridge beats out the current holder (Duge Bridge, also in China, naturally) – another notch in the country's belt of incredible infrastructure feats.
The numbers are pretty absurd: a total length of 2,880 metres, a main span of 1,420 metres, and a steel deck that weighs more than 22,000 tonnes. It was built in just over three years and connects Liuzhi and Anlong, slicing through unforgiving terrain that has made travel here a logistical nightmare for decades. Get this: it used to take almost two hours to cross this canyon – the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge cuts that time to under two minutes.
There's something in it for tourists, too. A glass elevator has been installed to take visitors up to a viewing platform, where there is a café perched 145 metres above the road deck. There are also suspended glass walkways, scenic sky platforms, a death-defying bungee jump, and maybe one day, a platform for skydiving and paragliding launches.
The bridge spells a tourism boom for Guizhou, a remote and mountainous province in southwest China. Fun fact: nearly half of the 100 tallest bridges in the world are already here, so the Huajiang Canyon Bridge is just another tall feather in its cap.
Now open, tourist facilities at the Huajiang Grand Canyon will roll out in phases. Whether you're a thrill-seeker, photographer, or engineering nerd, this bridge is one detour worth adding to your China itinerary.
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