China is gearing up to unveil the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge this summer, a record-breaking suspension bridge that will soar 2,051 feet (625 meters) above the Beipan River, making it the tallest bridge on Earth. Scheduled to open by June 30, 2025, the structure will dramatically transform transportation in Guizhou province’s rugged terrain.
Spanning the Huajiang Grand Canyon—often dubbed an “earth crack” due to its narrow, steep geology—the bridge will surpass France’s Millau Viaduct by nearly 950 feet. The massive project, launched in January 2022, is being hailed as a triumph of modern engineering and a bold statement of China’s infrastructure prowess.
With a total length of 9,482 feet and a main span of 4,660 feet, the steel truss suspension bridge rests on two towering 860-foot pillars. Specially engineered to endure high canyon winds, the design also emphasizes environmental sensitivity, using a slim profile and steel truss segments weighing a combined 22,000 tonnes—roughly three times the mass of the Eiffel Tower.
Once operational, the bridge will slash travel time across the canyon from two hours to just one minute, offering a major boost to regional connectivity and development in one of China’s most mountainous areas.
Guizhou, already home to eight of the world’s ten tallest bridges, is fast becoming a global hub for extreme bridge construction. The Huajiang Bridge will dethrone the nearby Duge Bridge, which previously held the world record at 1,854 feet.
