Huajiang Canyon Bridge
Huajiang Canyon Bridge 花江峡谷大桥 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 25°42′17″N 105°35′17″E / 25.7047°N 105.5881°E |
| Carries | S57 Liuzhi-Anlong Expressway |
| Crosses | Beipan River |
| Locale | Guanling County–Zhenfeng County, Guizhou, China |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension |
| Total length | 2,890 metres (9,480 ft) |
| Height | 262 metres (860 ft) (north tower)[1] 205 metres (673 ft) (south tower) |
| Longest span | 1,420 metres (4,660 ft) |
| 625 metres (2,051 ft)[1] | |
| No. of lanes | 4 |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Guizhou Bridge Group[2] |
| Construction start | 18 January 2022 |
| Construction end | 28 September 2025 |
| Construction cost | 2.1 billion RMB |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Huajiang Canyon Bridge | |
The Huajiang Canyon Bridge (Chinese: 花江峡谷大桥) is an alpine suspension bridge in Guizhou province, China, that opened in late September 2025. The bridge crosses the Beipan River as it passes through the deep Huajiang Canyon and is the world's highest bridge, measuring 625 metres (2,051 ft) from the bridge deck to the bottom of the gorge. It surpassed the previous highest bridge, the Duge Bridge, which crosses the same river 200 kilometres (120 mi) upstream.[3] The bridge was opened to the public on 28 September 2025.[4]
Background
[edit source]Among the reasons for the construction of the bridge were the revitalization of Guizhou, a very remote and poor mountainous province, and the promotion of tourism, with the projected creation of a center for extreme sports at the bottom of the canyon. Guizhou has been economically depressed, exceptionally rugged, and for much of its history isolated from the rest of China by its karst topography. The canyon crossing time, which previously took 70 minutes via mountain passes and ferries, will be reduced to just over one minute via the new alpine highway.[5][6]
Construction
[edit source]Construction began on 18 January 2022. On 21 April 2023, the first tower of the suspended part reached 199 metres (653 ft) in height and the construction of the upper transverse beam had begun.[5]
On 21 August 2025, the Huajiang Canyon Bridge started its load test.[7] The test was successfully completed on 25 August 2025.[8] The bridge was opened officially on 28 September 2025.[9]
Characteristics
[edit source]The bridge has a total length of 2,890 metres (9,480 ft), including a main span of 1,420 metres (4,660 ft). It is supported by two main 262-metre-tall (860 ft) towers. As a result, the difference in altitude between the deck and the water level of the river reaches 625 metres (2,051 ft), a world record.[6][10]
The bridge carries the Guizhou S57 Liuzhi-Anlong Expressway highway connecting Liuzhi Special District and Anlong County.[11]
A fibre-optic load cell cable is embedded in three of the 217 carrying cable strands to provide live monitoring of the bridge state.[12]
Water curtain
[edit source]During excavation of the tunnel at the bridgehead, the construction team encountered a flow of karst groundwater. Rather than discharging it from the tunnel as waste, the engineers diverted the water into a newly built reservoir at the bridgehead with a capacity of 4,000 cubic meters (140,000 cu ft).[13][14] The captured water supplies the bridge's service area, irrigates farmland and orchards on the Guanling side of the canyon, and, using the surplus, feeds a water-curtain feature mounted along the deck.[13]
The water curtain is about 300 meters (980 ft) wide, and its height can be adjusted up to nearly 100 meters (330 ft) by varying the spray pressure.[15] Released from the 625-meter (2,051 ft) deck, the cascade has been described by Chinese state media as the world's highest artificial waterfall.[13] After dark the curtain becomes the surface for a combined water, light, and sound show staged as part of the bridge's "bridge-tourism integration" (桥旅融合) program, with two performances held each day.[13][15] The light-show contract was awarded to the listed lighting company Howsolar (SZSE: 002963), which planned to use laser projection on the 300-meter (980 ft) water screen.[16]
Tourism
[edit source]At the level below the car deck, there is a glass sightseeing walkway.[17] There is a glass-enclosed elevator and staircase beside one of the bridge towers.[18] On top of one of the bridge towers there is a specialty coffeehouse with panoramic views, 800 metres above valley floor.[19][20] The bridge has facilities for extreme sports such as bungee jumping and paragliding integrated by design.[21]
The bridge in September 2025
The bridge in September 2025
See also
[edit source]References
[edit source]- 1 2 Sakowski, Eric. "Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge" (Wiki). HighestBridges.com. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ↑ "我会理事单位贵州桥梁集团承建的"横竖都是世界第一"的花江峡谷大桥正式建成通车！".
- ↑ "World's tallest bridge: Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge takes title". BBC Newsround. 12 July 2025.
- ↑ "Watch: World's highest bridge opens in China". BBC. 29 September 2025. Archived from the original on 29 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- 1 2 "World's highest mountain bridge over SW China grand canyon under construction". Xinhua. 2023. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- 1 2 "New bridge in Guizhou to hit world record". China Daily. 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ↑ 杨文斌 (21 August 2025). "在建世界第一高桥正式启动荷载试验". 新华网 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ↑ ""横竖"都是世界第一！花江峡谷大桥顺利完成荷载试验 预计9月底通车". photo.china.com.cn. 26 August 2025. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ↑ "World's highest bridge to open to traffic in China's mountainous southwest".
- ↑ "Guizhou : un pont de 2980 mètres traversant un grand canyon en construction". Le Quotidien du Peuple (in French). 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ↑ "625 meters! The world's tallest bridge record will be refreshed!". Seetao. 2023. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ↑ ""世界第一高桥"明日正式通车：乘207米高玻璃观光电梯，1分钟即可登顶 - 21经济网". 21jingji.com. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 焦点访谈 | 从出圈到破圈，看花江峡谷大桥如何激活"桥旅融合"新动能 [Focus Report: From Going Viral to Breaking Through, How the Huajiang Canyon Bridge Activates New Momentum for "Bridge-Tourism Integration"]. China Central Television (in Chinese). 20 December 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ 【牢记嘱托 展现新风采·聚焦世界第一高桥】天堑变通途 || 访建设团队五位总工程师 [Interview with Five Chief Engineers of the Construction Team] (in Chinese). Tencent News. 28 September 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- 1 2 水幕灯光秀 世界第一高桥的夜晚太浪漫 [Water Curtain Light Show: A Romantic Night at the World's Highest Bridge]. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). 29 September 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ 豪尔赛：中标世界第一高桥花江峡谷大桥水幕光影秀项目 [Howsolar Wins the Bid for the Water-Curtain Light-Show Project of the Huajiang Canyon Bridge]. Securities Times (in Chinese). 14 July 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "花江峡谷大桥通车啦！记者带你体验——"桥旅融合"新玩法". anshun.gov.cn. Retrieved 3 October 2025.[dead link]
- ↑ 當代中國 (11 October 2025). "世界第一高！解鎖貴州花江峽谷大橋4大玩法 附周邊景點推薦". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ↑ "在800米高喝咖啡 欣赏风起云涌". szb.eyesnews.cn. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ↑ Chaudhary, Isha (13 October 2025). "World's Tallest Bridge Opens in China with Glass-Walled Sky Café". Retrieved 18 December 2025.
- ↑ "世界各地的极限运动爱好者奔赴中国挑战世界级大桥-新华网". news.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 3 October 2025.
External links
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