China opens world’s highest bridge, surpassing its previous record
The world’s highest bridge officially opened in China on Sunday, surpassing a previous record held by another bridge in the same province.
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge rises roughly 2,050 feet above a river and gorge in Guizhou Province, making it more than twice as tall as the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, which stands 956 feet above the Arkansas River and holds the U.S. record. The Guizhou bridge also sets a record as the world’s longest bridge in a mountainous region, stretching 4,600 feet.
Officials have called the project an “infrastructure miracle,” aimed at boosting tourism and economic growth in one of China’s less developed regions. Constructed over three years and eight months, the bridge reduces travel time across the canyon from two hours to just two minutes and links major tourist attractions.
Tian Hongrui, a technician who worked on the bridge, described the opening as both “bittersweet” and the start of a “new chapter.” The site features a high-speed glass elevator that takes visitors 2,600 feet above the river to a café, a 1,900-foot glass walkway, and bungee jumping opportunities.
Guizhou, home to roughly 40 million people, has seen a massive infrastructure expansion in recent decades, growing from around 2,900 bridges in the 1980s to more than 32,000 today, either completed or under construction. The province also hosts the world’s second-highest bridge, Duge Bridge, which opened in 2016.
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