Beipan River Guanxing Highway Bridge, Suspension bridge in Guizhou Province, China
The Beipan River Guanxing Highway Bridge is a suspension bridge on the Guanxing Highway at the border of Zhenfeng County and Guanling Buyei and Miao Autonomous County in Guizhou, China. Its deck sits 366 metres above the Beipan River, with a main span of 388 metres and a total length of 528 metres. The prestressed concrete deck is 12.4 metres wide and carries two lanes. In photographs, red towers and main cables with thin vertical suspender lines stand out against the light gray deck edge.
Work on the bridge began in 2001, and the span was joined in December 2003, opening to traffic on 28 December 2003. It took the world height record from the Liuguanghe Bridge and held it until Papua New Guinea's Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge opened in 2005. A dam built downstream in 2009 slightly reduced the drop to the water.
The bridge connects two communities in Guizhou, allowing people to move between villages much faster than before. This has made it easier for residents on both sides to maintain relationships and trade goods.
Driving across the bridge takes just a few minutes and cuts travel time between the two river banks from several hours down significantly. The road is well-maintained and suitable for regular vehicles, though driving in poor weather requires extra care.
The bridge was the first suspension bridge anywhere to pass both the 300-metre and 1,000-foot height thresholds, and in 2003 it ended the 74-year reign of Colorado's Royal Gorge Bridge as the world's highest. It held the record only until 2005, when Papua New Guinea's Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge opened.
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