China opened the world’s tallest bridge on Sunday, which spans 625 meters (2,051 feet) above the Beipan River in Guizhou province and sets new records for engineering in mountainous terrain.
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge stretches 2,890 meters (9,482 feet) in total length and features a main span of 1,420 meters (4,659 feet), provincial authorities said. Supported by two towers each 262 meters (860 feet) tall, the crossing eclipses the previous height record held by the Duge Bridge, also in Guizhou, which has a vertical clearance of about 565.4 meters (1,856 feet).
Built in roughly three years and eight months, the project is billed by officials as a boost for tourism and economic development in one of China’s least-developed, rugged provinces. Engineers and workers completed load testing in late August, and the bridge opened to traffic on Sept. 28.
China’s tallest bridge is set to shorten travel by close to two hours
“The extraordinary scale of this bridge will connect communities and dramatically cut travel times,” a provincial official said in a statement. Guizhou officials stated the crossing will shorten travel time across the canyon from approximately two hours to roughly two minutes once the linked expressway is fully operational.
State media reported the site also includes amenities aimed at visitors, such as a high-speed glass elevator that rises to a coffee area approximately 792 meters (2,600 feet) above the river, a glass walkway suspended 579 meters (1,900 feet) high, and facilities for bungee jumping and other extreme sports attractions.
Guizhou, home to approximately 40 million people, has undergone an aggressive infrastructure push in recent decades. Authorities say the province now has more than 32,000 bridges finished or under construction, compared with roughly 2,900 in the 1980s. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is the latest in a string of record-setting crossings in the region; many of the world’s tallest and longest mountain bridges are clustered in southwestern China.
The steep karst landscape made the project a major engineering challenge
Engineers described the project as a major technical challenge because of the steep karst landscape and deep canyon. Construction began January 18, 2022, and the bridge, described by local officials as the world’s longest-span steel truss girder suspension bridge in mountainous terrain, required complex anchoring, long cable runs, and precision assembly of the deck and towers.
The new structure is expected to funnel tourists into the Huajiang Grand Canyon, which officials have nicknamed “the Earth’s crack,” and to spur local business development. Critics of China’s large-scale infrastructure campaigns sometimes question the long-term maintenance costs and environmental footprint of such public works. Provincial authorities stated the bridge project complied with safety and environmental standards and would be continuously monitored.
For people and development, no mountain’s too high.
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, in SW China’s #Guizhou, connects villages and improves lives. @UpGuizhou pic.twitter.com/2pd5CplTW1
— Mao Ning 毛宁 (@SpoxCHN_MaoNing) August 1, 2025
With the Huajiang opening, China further consolidates its lead in high and long-span bridge construction, a sector in which it has repeatedly set global benchmarks in recent years. The new bridge now ranks atop lists of the world’s tallest spans and joins a growing roster of ambitious transportation projects reshaping access to remote, mountainous regions.
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