The world now boasts a new record-breaking bridge in Guizhou province in southwest China. Situated at an above-ground altitude of 625 metres and with a main span of 1,420 metres, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge has become the highest in the world and the longest-span bridge in any mountainous area.
A vision in aquamarine steel, the structure was inaugurated on Sunday, 28 September 2025, at a ceremony captured by drone footage and attended by members of the public, officials, and engineers. Zhang Yin, provincial transport department chief, hailed the impact the bridge will have in the subtropical, mountainous destination. “The opening of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge reduces travel time between the two sides from two hours to two minutes,” she said.
The tallest bridge in the world, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in #Guizhou, China, opens today. 🇨🇳
— Bridging News (@BridgingNews_) September 28, 2025
Rising 625 m above the Beipan River and stretching 2,890 m with a 1,420 m main span, it has cut the crossing time between the banks from two hours to about two minutes.… pic.twitter.com/NUlDF33FiK
Having taken just three years to complete, the project includes a 207-metre-tall elevator ride that in one minute takes visitors to the top of an 800m-high column where a café and a 1,000m2 glass observation deck offer refreshments and stunning views over the misty river gorge. It’s a magnet for influencers, as well as high-octane sport enthusiasts who can practise sky-balance beam walking, as well as base and bungee jumping into the void.
The tallest bridge in the world, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in #Guizhou, China, opens today. 🇨🇳
— Bridging News (@BridgingNews_) September 28, 2025
Rising 625 m above the Beipan River and stretching 2,890 m with a 1,420 m main span, it has cut the crossing time between the banks from two hours to about two minutes.… pic.twitter.com/NUlDF33FiK
Technical innovations applied to the bridge include satellite-assistance and drone guidance to optimise precision building, as well as fibre-optic enhanced “smart cables” that give engineers constant feedback on key metrics such as moisture levels, stress, and temperature. Another pioneering part of the design is its lightweight, ultra-strong saddle support system (that guides and distributes the forces at work in such a construction).
It’s all part of a regional transformation that includes the Liuzhi-Anlong Expressway (also known as Guizhou S57), a motorway that slices through the mountains connecting to a floating road network. The aim, according to Zhang Yin, is to bring “enormous improvements to regional transportation conditions and new impetus into regional economic and social development.”
625m,The tallest man-made waterfall in the world.
— Zhang Meifang (@CGMeifangZhang) September 28, 2025
Guizhou Huajiang Canyon Bridge.pic.twitter.com/8cDDIzTgvv
China is already well known for its vast infrastructure projects that include the former record-holding 565-metre-high, Beipanjiang Bridge, just 10 minutes by road away, and over 600 km away in Jiangsu Province, the new Changtai Yangtze Bridge, which links Changzhou and Taizhou across the world’s longest cable-stayed span (10.3 km) and integrates a highway, regional roads, and an intercity railway.
Meanwhile, Europe possesses the world’s tallest bridge, which remains the Tarn Valley’s Norman Foster-Virlogeux masterpiece, the Millau Viaduct, standing 343 metres above the southern French landscape.
