The planet’s highest bridge officially opened on Sunday in China, supplanting another bridge in the same province for the title. Chinese state media reports that the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge sits more than 2,000 feet above a river in China’s southern province of Guizhou.
Measurements
According to NBC News, the structure is more than twice as high as the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, which hovers above the Arkansas River at nearly 1,000 feet.
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is also reportedly the world’s longest bridge in a mountainous area, spanning approximately 4,600 feet across. It will slash commute times from each side of the canyon from two hours to about three minutes. It’s also expected to be a boon for tourism in a region with a relatively sparse population, according to officials.
Technicians who helped with the project said they are proud of their work and called it “the start to a new chapter.”
Features for visitors and ultimate goal
The bridge features a high-speed glass elevator that tourists or locals can use to hit up a coffee joint at 2,600 feet. Or they can even bungee jump from a reported 1,900-foot part of the structure.
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in China spans nearly 102.5 miles, making it the longest bridge in the world.
The region where the bridge was constructed has a population of about 40 million people, and over recent decades has seen infrastructure improvements as part of China’s efforts to combat poverty. Construction on the bridge began in 2022.
Expansive bridge growth
Over the decades, the number of bridges in Guizhou has reportedly gone from around 2,900 in the 1980s to more than 32,000 now. It’s part of an effort to increase tourism and spark the economy.
The world’s second-highest bridge is also in Guizhou. Known as the Duge Bridge, it opened in 2016 and sits at a height of nearly 1,900 feet.
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