At 625 meters above the ground and with a span of 1,420 meters between mountains, China inaugurated the highest bridge in the world — and the 2-hour journey now takes 2 minutes.

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 16/04/2026 at 17:47

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Suspension bridge of 2,890 meters in Guizhou surpasses the Duge Bridge record by 60 meters, crosses a 10 km canyon with 9,000-ton cables and 2-millimeter precision — load test used 96 heavy trucks

On September 28, 2025, China inaugurated the highest bridge in the world. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, in the province of Guizhou, is 625 meters above the Beipan River.

The previous record belonged to the Duge Bridge, at 565 meters. The new structure surpasses its predecessor by 60 meters.

Before the bridge, crossing the canyon took about 2 hours via winding and dangerous roads. Now, the crossing takes only 2 minutes.

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The numbers of the highest bridge in the world

Height: 625 meters above the Beipan River
Total length: 2,890 meters
Main span: 1,420 meters — the largest in mountainous terrain
Main towers: 262 meters and 205 meters high
Main cables: over 9,000 tons each
GPS precision: error margin less than 2 millimeters
Load test: 96 heavy trucks, 3,700 tons
Canyon: over 10 km between the edges, V-shaped

Each main cable is made up of tens of thousands of high-strength steel wires. The installation required GPS precision with a margin of less than 2 millimeters.

On August 25, 2025, the bridge passed the load test. There were 96 heavy trucks at the same time, totaling 3,700 tons on the deck.

A canyon that challenged engineers for decades

The Huajiang canyon challenged designs for decades. The aggressive topography made traditional solutions unfeasible.

The valley has a deep V shape, with more than 10 kilometers between the upper edges. Constant fog made work difficult.

The towers were built directly on the slopes of the mountains. One side was anchored in a massive concrete block, the other excavated into the natural rock.

The bridge is an alpine suspension bridge with steel truss spans. The design had to consider earthquakes and strong winds.

The first tower reached 199 meters on April 21, 2023. From then on, construction accelerated until completion in September 2025.

Those who follow megaprojects know that China also has the longest bridge in the world, at 164 km. The expertise is undeniable.

262-meter towers of the Huajiang Bridge built on the mountain slopes — The 262 and 205-meter towers were built directly on the canyon slopes — Illustrative image

How it compares to other bridges in the world

The Duge Bridge, the former record holder, is 565 meters tall and is located 200 km upstream. Both are in Guizhou.

In Brazil, the Salvador-Itaparica bridge will be the largest in Latin America. But they are projects of different natures — one over the sea, another over an abyss.

The Huajiang has a span of 1,420 meters between mountains. It is the largest ever built in mountainous terrain in the world.

The province of Guizhou hosts several of the highest bridges on the planet. The rugged terrain requires extreme engineering solutions.

Panoramic view of the Huajiang canyon with a suspension bridge crossing the valley — The Huajiang canyon is over 10 km between edges and has challenged engineers for decades — Illustrative image

Impressive achievement, but maintenance will be a constant challenge

Bridges at 625 meters high face extreme winds, thermal variations, and accelerated corrosion.

The maintenance of the 9,000-ton cables will require constant and costly inspections over the decades.

The environmental impact on the canyon also deserves monitoring. Projects of this scale alter ecosystems irreversibly.

Still, for local communities, the bridge is transformative. Decades of isolation ended in 2 minutes of crossing.

Information compiled from reports by BBC News and CNN International. The bridge was inaugurated in September 2025.

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At 625 meters above the ground and with a span of 1,420 meters between mountains, China inaugurated the highest bridge in the world — and the 2-hour journey now takes 2 minutes.

Suspension bridge of 2,890 meters in Guizhou surpasses the Duge Bridge record by 60 meters, crosses a 10 km canyon with 9,000-ton cables and 2-millimeter precision — load test used 96 heavy trucks

The numbers of the highest bridge in the world

A canyon that challenged engineers for decades

How it compares to other bridges in the world

Impressive achievement, but maintenance will be a constant challenge

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At 625 meters above the ground and with a span of 1,420 meters between mountains, China inaugurated the highest bridge in the world — and the 2-hour journey now takes 2 minutes.

Suspension bridge of 2,890 meters in Guizhou surpasses the Duge Bridge record by 60 meters, crosses a 10 km canyon with 9,000-ton cables and 2-millimeter precision — load test used 96 heavy trucks

The numbers of the highest bridge in the world

A canyon that challenged engineers for decades

How it compares to other bridges in the world

Impressive achievement, but maintenance will be a constant challenge

Seen from space, an image taken by an astronaut shows an unlikely oasis in the Saudi Arabian desert, protected by a terrain that slows the advance of sand, surrounded by green circles, remnants of an extinct lake and nearly 10,000 years of preserved history.

While the U.S. still faces limitations in deep space, China is developing unprecedented technology with strategic satellites that maintain communication with the far side of the Moon and aims for dominance by 2030.

With 7.4 trillion tons of artificial snow pumped in 10 years, an extreme operation could stabilize the West Antarctic ice sheet and prevent a sea level rise of more than 3 meters, but it would require snow cannons, ocean water, and energy on an almost industrial scale at the end of the world.

The Blood Falls of Antarctica hide a living ecosystem trapped under the ice for over 2 million years, where microbes survive without light, without oxygen, and without ever having seen the Sun.

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