Beipan River Shuibai Railway Bridge, Railway arch bridge in Guizhou, China
The Beipan River Shuibai Railway Bridge is a steel arch structure spanning approximately 486 meters across a steep gorge in Guizhou Province. It carries trains between two cities and forms part of a railway line where much of the route goes through tunnels or over bridges rather than along open ground.
The bridge was completed in 2001 and initially became the world's highest railway bridge for its time. The record stood until 2016 when other railway bridges surpassed this achievement.
The bridge represents a milestone in Chinese engineering, demonstrating the nation's capabilities in constructing transportation infrastructure across challenging mountain terrain.
Trains use this bridge regularly as it is a key link in the rail network, so visitors may see them pass throughout the day. The best view of the span is from vantage points around the canyon area where the full scale becomes clear.
The two arches were built separately on the canyon's hillsides and then rotated horizontally toward each other to meet in the center. This clever approach eliminated the need for temporary support structures in the gorge itself.
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