Located in the province of Guizhou, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge towers over the Beipan River — cutting down travel time across the canyon from two hours to just two minutes.
Glabb/Wikimedia CommonsHuajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, the tallest bridge in the world, opened in September 2025.
In 2016, China opened the Duge Bridge in the province of Guizhou. Looming 1,854 feet above the river below, the Duge Bridge was named the world’s highest bridge. But now, China has opened a new, even higher bridge — the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge — that now stands as the tallest bridge in the world.
At 2,050 feet high (and also located in the Guizhou province), this bridge more than shatters the record previously held by Duge Bridge. It’s part of a wider anti-poverty initiative in China, and already promises to transform life for locals.
The Opening Of The Tallest Bridge In The World
Glabb/Wikimedia CommonsThe Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge soars more than 2,000 feet above the river below it.
Opened on Sept. 28, 2025, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge quickly broke records. Not only is it the highest bridge in the world, soaring 2,050 feet above the Beipan River in the province of Guizhou, but, at 4,600 feet long, it’s also the world’s longest bridge in a mountainous area.
The bridge not only shattered the record held by the Duge Bridge, previously considered the highest bridge in the world, but it’s also far taller than any bridge in the United States. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is more than twice the height of the tallest bridge in the U.S., the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, and it’s nine times as high as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
According to CCTV, part of Chinese state media, the bridge took three years to construct. One of the key steps to ensure its safety was a load-bearing test, which saw nearly 100 trucks drive over the bridge to ensure it could support traffic.
The test was a success, and the bridge opened shortly thereafter.
Xinhua/Tao LiangA load-bearing test on the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, which ensured that the tallest bridge in the world could support the weight of heavy traffic.
But the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is more than a marvel of modern engineering. It’s also part of a larger Chinese initiative to combat poverty in the region, and to make remote areas of Guizhou more accessible.
The Regional Importance Of The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge
There’s a reason why the impoverished Guizhou province, which had just 2,900 bridges in the 1980s, is now home to over 32,000 bridges (some of which are still under construction). Home to many deep ravines, its inhabitants have historically relied on long, cramped bus rides to get from place to place. But bridges like the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge will help transform their lives. According to CCTV, the world’s tallest bridge has cut down the travel time across the canyon from two hours — to just two minutes.
“From my hometown to the county seat, there was only one bus per day, just as there was only one from the county seat to Guiyang, the provincial capital,” Wu Chaoming, manager of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge construction project, who grew up in Guizhou, recalled. “The bus was bursting at the seams with people, like tightly packed bamboo shoots in spring. People would even climb onto the luggage rack on the roof.”
Glabb/Wikimedia CommonsNot only is the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge a stunning sight, but the world’s tallest bridge is also playing an important role for locals in the historically poor Guizhou province.
But while the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge undoubtedly serves a practical purpose, it’s also meant to draw tourists. Visitors to the bridge will be able to take a high-speed glass elevator to a cafe at the top of one of the bridge’s towers and walk along a 1,900-foot-high glass walkway. For those brave enough, the bridge will eventually offer opportunities to go paragliding and bungee jumping.
Transportation authorities in China expect that the bridge will attract roughly 1 million people a year, giving a much needed boost of tourism dollars to the Guizhou province. Bridge building is part of a larger initiative to bring wealth to Guizhou, which is why the region now has so many bridges, and is known as the world’s “bridge museum,” according to CCTV.
Visitors will certainly come upon an incredible sight. The world’s tallest bridge is simply stunning — both from the ground, and from the sky.
After reading about how the tallest bridge in the world just opened in China, take a look at the Back Long pedestrian bridge in Vietnam, the longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world. Or, learn the surprising history of the Old London Bridge, which once boasted homes and shops.
