China has officially opened the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou Province, a megaproject touted as the highest bridge in the world. After more than three years of construction, the suspension bridge now towers 625 metres (2,051 feet) above the canyon floor, surpassing the nearby Beipanjiang Bridge (565 metres) to claim the record, according to state media.
State television aired sweeping live drone footage of cars gliding over the blue-pylon structure, which was partly obscured by clouds. Local officials, engineers and onlookers attended the inauguration ceremony, where government representatives framed the project as a milestone in national infrastructure building.
Zhang Yin, head of Guizhou’s transport department, told reporters the bridge cuts travel time between the canyon’s two sides from “two hours to two minutes” — a dramatic improvement the government argues will boost regional mobility and stimulate economic development.
The project reflects a larger pattern: Beijing has poured massive sums into bridges, railways and expressways over recent decades, using infrastructure to underpin rapid growth and urbanisation. Guizhou, one of China’s poorest and most mountainous provinces, has been a particular focus of these efforts. Xinhua noted that almost half of the world’s 100 tallest bridges are concentrated there — a statistic that underlines both China’s engineering ambitions and the terrain’s logistical challenges.
While the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge now holds the record for height above ground, it does not eclipse the title of the “world’s tallest bridge structure” — a category measured by the height of the tallest pylons — which remains with France’s Millau Viaduct (343 metres). The Chinese project also boasts a main span of 1,420 metres, reportedly the largest ever achieved in a mountainous region.
