China on Sunday officially opened the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, the world’s highest bridge to the public. Towering 625 metres (2,051 feet) above a deep gorge in Guizhou Province, the bridge reduces travel time between the canyon’s two sides from two hours to just two minutes.The 2890-metre-long structure, completed after more than three years of construction, features a main span of 1420 metres, making it the world’s largest-span steel truss girder suspension bridge built in mountainous terrain. The bridge is nearly nine times as tall as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, according to state news agency Xinhua.State media reported that live drone footage showed vehicles crossing the bridge, with crowds of engineers, officials and local residents witnessing the opening ceremony.“The opening of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge significantly improves regional transportation and injects new impetus into local economic and social development,” said Zhang Yin, head of the Guizhou Provincial Transport Department.Earlier this year, a testing team drove 96 trucks onto the bridge at designated points to ensure its structural integrity. The bridge surpasses the previous world record-holder, the 565-metre-high Beipanjiang Bridge, also located in Guizhou, as reported by BBC.Guizhou Province, known for its rugged terrain, has built over 30,000 bridges in recent decades, nearly half of the world’s 100 tallest. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge adds to China’s ambitious infrastructure expansion, which has included major projects across the country to support rapid urbanization and economic growth.While the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge now holds the record for height and largest span in a mountainous area, France’s Millau Viaduct remains the tallest bridge measured by the height of its own structure, at 343 metres, according to news agency AFP.
