Rebecca Manzi The Huajiang Canyon Bridge, rising 625 meters above the river below, will become the highest bridge in the world, dethroning a record held by China itself: it will reduce the crossing time from over an hour to just 2 minutes.
@iloveguizhou/X
China is again setting engineering at a new frontier: in summer 2025, it will unveil the world’s tallest bridge to traffic — a stunning piece of architecture that will straddle the Huajiang Grand Canyon in Guizhou’s mountainous province.
At 2,051 feet (625 meters) above the river below, the new Huajiang Canyon Bridge will surpass the current record holder, the Duge Bridge, which is just 118 miles (190 kilometers) away.
The bridge, though, is not just a showcase for architectural magic. It also delivers a pragmatic solution to one of China’s most challenging landscapes. Guizhou is famous for its mountain karst landscapes and gorges cut by rivers that make driving a long and arduous process. Because of the gigantic main span of 4,659 feet (1,420 meters) and overall length of 9,777 feet (2,980 meters) of the Huajiang Canyon Bridge, the time taken to cross the canyon will reduce from over an hour to just two minutes.
The bridge is part of the new Liuzhi–Anlong Expressway, a signature infrastructure project that will enhance mobility as well as tourism in the region. Faster travel to natural landmarks like the Huangguoshu Waterfall — one of China’s top-five best — promises a big jump in tourism.
The official opening is scheduled for June 30
Technically speaking, the bridge is a display of cutting-edge construction technology. Made of 93 enormous steel girders that were placed with millimeter precision using a GPS-enabled automated crane system, the engineers also made use of 3D scanning and virtual modeling to fine-tune alignments before actual installation — a quintessential example of how technology can bypass construction delays.
But function is not the only issue. The bridge will have observation points for pedestrians with a covered walkway 1,500 feet (457 meters) long, restaurants with vistas in every direction, and even a bungee jumping platform for thrill-seekers.
At a scale of approximately 48.5 million pounds (22,000 tons), the Huajiang Canyon Bridge is not just an engineering marvel — it’s a powerful symbol of vision and transformation. Once a distant corner of China, Guizhou is now becoming a strategic axis for development and connectivity.
“The new king of bridges will debut on June 30, 2025”
