China has thrown open to traffic its newest engineering marvel, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou province, instantly claiming the title of the world’s tallest bridge. Rising 625 metres (2,050 feet) above the Beipan River, the structure is already being dubbed the “Earth’s crack” for the way it slices across the vast canyon.
The bridge, completed in just three and a half years, does more than connect two sides of the rugged terrain. It shrinks what was once a two-hour journey into just two minutes, offering both locals and travellers a breathtaking shortcut.
A bridge that broke records
At 2,890 metres in length and with a main span of 1,420 metres, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is not just the tallest bridge in the world. It also holds the record for the largest span ever built in a mountainous area, cementing Guizhou’s reputation as a global hub of bridge-building.
Drone footage aired on September 28 by state media showed the steel-blue towers piercing through clouds as cars drove across for the first time. The opening ceremony drew engineers, local officials, and curious crowds eager to witness history.
Tested to extremes
Before welcoming traffic, the bridge underwent a battery of tests. On August 25, engineers rolled 96 trucks, weighing more than 3,300 tonnes combined, across strategic points of the deck to simulate daily stress. Over 400 sensors monitored shifts in the span, towers, cables, and suspenders, ensuring safety down to the smallest detail.
The final result: a structure that can withstand the extreme winds and steep canyon slopes of Guizhou’s terrain.
More than just transport
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge has been designed as a tourist attraction as much as a transportation artery. Alongside the roadway, visitors will find:
A 207-metre sightseeing elevator
Sky cafes and viewing platforms
Panoramic decks offering jaw-dropping views of the canyon
For Guizhou, already home to more than 30,000 bridges, the new landmark is expected to draw global travellers and further brand the province as the 'world’s bridge museum.'
Engineering against the odds
Project manager Wu Zhaoming of the Guizhou Transportation Investment Group said the team battled multiple challenges, from stabilising steep canyon walls to managing massive concrete pours in fluctuating temperatures and taming the region’s fierce winds.
Despite this, the bridge was completed ahead of schedule at a cost of $283 million, a feat engineers call a “stretch of the limits of modern engineering.”
China’s bridge dominance
The Huajiang span is only the latest in China’s unmatched portfolio of record-breaking bridges. The country already operates eight of the world’s ten tallest bridges, three of them in Guizhou alone. The previous titleholder, the Beipanjiang Bridge, lies just 100 kilometres away.
For perspective, the Huajiang Bridge soars:
Nine times taller than London’s Tower Bridge
Twice the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
It is a symbol not just of Chinese engineering might, but also of how infrastructure is reshaping some of the country’s most isolated regions.
From vision to reality
Construction began in January 2022. By September 2025, the bridge was open to the public, standing as both a lifeline and a spectacle.
For locals, the new crossing means faster travel and safer commutes. For China, it is another chapter in a long story of using awe-inspiring infrastructure to connect people, power economies, and make the impossible possible.
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