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World’s highest bridge opens in China

Beipanjiang Bridge connects the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan

A bridge cloaked in fog rises above rugged terrain.
The Beipanjiang Bridge rises 564 meters above the Beipan River.
Photos by ImagineChina via Dezeen

A handful of awesome, terrifying bridges have come out of China this year. Remember this fire-engine-red wavy footbridge in Changsha? And who could forget this glass-and-steel one in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province, that closed just 13 days after it opened due to overwhelming demand? Or how about this “air corridor” in Hubei Province?

However, the most impressive of these might be the newly opened Beipanjiang Bridge, which spans the Beipan River and connects the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan. Rising 564 meters (1,850 feet) above the river, it measures 1,341 meters (4,440) and four lanes of traffic-wide, and is considered the highest bridge in the world. It beat out another Chinese bridge, the Sidu River Bridge, which is raised 500 meters (1,640 feet) above a river.

Still, that doesn’t make Beipanjiang Bridge the tallest in the world. That distinction goes to the Millau Viaduct in the south of France, with its highest mast point reaching 343 meters (1,125 feet) and a deck raised 270 meters (886 feet) off the ground.

Via: Dezeen