D009-CHINA INAUGURACION PUENTE MAS ALTO

STORYLINE:

The world's tallest bridge opened to traffic Sunday morning in southwest China's Guizhou Province, slashing travel time across a deep canyon from two hours to just two minutes after three years of construction.

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, soaring 625 meters above the Beipan River in Guizhou's mountainous terrain, is nearly nine times as tall as San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

With a main span of 1,420 meters, the project has become the world's longest-span steel truss girder suspension bridge in mountainous terrain, according to Guizhou provincial authorities.

Spanning the Huajiang Grand Canyon, dubbed "the Earth's crack," the 2,890-meter-long structure is the latest addition to the rapidly expanding infrastructure network of the world's second-largest economy.

The former world's tallest bridge, which spans the Beipan River, is situated approximately 100 km from the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge. The previous record-holder, opened in 2016, has a vertical clearance of 565.4 meters from the bridge deck to the river surface below.

The bridge has achieved multiple technological breakthroughs in its wind-resistance design and high-altitude bridge construction, obtaining 21 authorized patents. Several of its technological innovations have been incorporated into national bridge construction standards, according to Zhang Yin, head of the provincial transportation department.

Since the bridge's construction began, the building team has overcome immense challenges posed by the Grand Canyon. By leveraging a suite of new technologies, including satellite navigation, drones, smart monitoring systems, and ultra-high-strength materials, they achieved millimeter-level precision in high-altitude construction, transforming a once-impassable barrier into a transportation corridor.

The bridge also sets recreational areas in addition to its transportation function. Visitors can take sightseeing elevators to the glass-enclosed observation hall within the bridge, where a variety of low-altitude activities, such as skydiving and bungee jumping, are available. Additionally, a cafe is located atop the bridge tower, offering panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.

Over the years, Guizhou, one of China's least developed provinces, has constructed over 30,000 bridges in its mountainous terrain, including three of the world's tallest. The province is home to nearly half of the world's 100 tallest bridges.