The New Highest Bridge in the World Just Opened

As humans continue building bridges, the bridges keep getting bigger. And no country is making them quite like China, which is not only home to half of the 10 longest bridges in the world but also recently broke its own record by once again building the world’s highest bridge. Here’s where you can find this marvel of engineering and why it’s worth seeking out on your future travels.

An “Infrastructure Miracle”

Guizhou, a mountainous province in southwestern China, has a population of about 38 million people. It’s been home to several high-profile infrastructure projects in recent decades as part of China’s poverty alleviation campaign. The new Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is a major part of that effort, along with more than 32,000 other brdiges.

Officially opened to vehicular traffic on September 28, 2025, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge takes the title of “world’s highest bridge” from the previous record holder, the 1,854-foot-high Duge Bridge, also located in Guizhou province. It towers a jaw-dropping 2,050 feet above the Beipan River below. The Empire State Building could stand under it with more than 600 feet to spare. Reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge — albeit in a light shade of turquoise rather than red-orange — the bridge also weighs 24,000 tons and has a span of 4,660 feet.

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge has been called an “infrastructure miracle,” not least because it was completed in just three years and eight months (several years ahead of schedule). It cuts travel time between the two sides of the canyon from two hours to a mere two minutes. Guizhou is among China’s least developed regions, and the bridge is meant to change that. In addition to simply getting travelers from point A to point B, it also offers tourist attractions such as one of the world’s highest bungee jumps and a 1,900-foot-high glass walkway. It’s also the world’s longest bridge in a mountainous region.

Higher and Higher

China is now home to nine of the world’s 10 highest bridges. Others include the Sidu River Bridge (1,627 feet), Puli Bridge (1,591 feet), Jin’an Bridge (1,512 feet), Yachi River Bridge (1,424 feet), and Qingshui River Bridge (1,332 feet). The highest bridge not in China is Mexico’s Baluarte Bridge, which stands 1,279 feet high.

The highest bridge in the U.S. is Colorado’s Royal Gorge Bridge, a suspension bridge standing 956 feet above the Arkansas River. When it was built in 1929, it was the highest bridge in the world — a record it held for more than 70 years until China built the Liuguanghe Bridge in 2001.

Interestingly, there’s a slight nuance in definition between the world’s “tallest” and “highest” bridges. The structural height of the planet’s “highest” bridges may be a greater distance from the lowest point beneath their span, but if they have pillars anchored into a sloping site, the structures themselves may not be as tall. For now, the record holder for tallest bridge is France’s striking Millau Viaduct, which measures 1,125 feet tall.

Featured image credit: Qu Honglun/China News Service/ VCG via Getty Images