--- --- # World’s tallest bridge opens to traffic in Guizhou  _This content was paid for and prepared by China Daily, an official publication of the People's Republic of China. The TIME editorial and advertising departments were not involved in the creation of this content._ Local residents take photos of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Southwest China’s Guizhou province on September 27, a day before it opened to traffic. The bridge — 9,482 feet long with a main span of 4,659 feet — rises 2,051 feet above the Beipan River, making it the world’s tallest bridge and the world’s largest-span bridge built in a mountainous area. LIU XU / XINHUA By YANG JUN and LIU BOQIAN The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou province, the world’s tallest, opened to traffic on September 28, turning what was once a two-hour drive across the gorge into a trip of barely two minutes. Rising 2,051 feet above the Beipan River, the bridge is a key project of an expressway linking the Liuzhi special district of Liupanshui city with Anlong county. With a main span measuring 4,659 feet, it anchors a new expressway that winds through one of China’s most mountainous provinces, where geography has long made traveling a challenge. Guizhou has earned a reputation as a province of bridges. According to the provincial transportation department, more than 32,000 bridges have been built or are under construction, and nearly half of the world’s 100 tallest bridges rise from its valleys. The Huajiang bridge is now its most striking landmark, embodying both practical needs and engineering ambition of the region. Building at such a height tested the limits of design and construction. Engineers faced unpredictable weather, sheer cliffs and wind gusts topping 62 miles per hour. To meet those challenges, the team relied on a series of new technologies. Han Hongju, chief engineer of the Guizhou Communications Investment Group, said the company introduced an intelligent cable-hoisting system guided by the Beidou Navigation Satellite System. It allowed workers to position steel trusses — the structures that support the deck — with centimeter-level accuracy. “The job once required 40 to 50 workers to watch the process physically and communicate by radio,” Han said. “Now, one or two people in a control room can input coordinates and limit positioning errors within 3.9 inches.” Liang Junyuan, a project manager who oversaw manufacturing and splice work, said that the China Railway Baoji Bridge Group used a virtual preassembly technique, likened to “building blocks in the cloud,” to install 93 truss segments in just 73 days. Liang said the team adopted a streamlined design and a central stabilizing plate to counter wind of more than 62 miles per hour, reducing wind loads by about 30%. Choosing the site itself required careful study. Engineers considered several options within 3 to 6 miles upstream and downstream, balancing cost, safety and environmental protection. “Those objective conditions determined the bridge’s height and span,” said Yang Jian, chief engineer at the Guizhou Transportation Planning Survey & Design Academy Co., the survey and design company for the bridge. “It turns an impassable gorge into a passage and helps spur development for residents living nearby.” Beyond the engineering, the bridge is already reshaping local tourism and the economy. Authorities and developers are preparing attractions such as bungee jumping, a cafe atop the bridge tower, and an integrated tourism area designed to channel income into surrounding communities. In Huajiang village, directly below the bridge, signs of vitalization are visible. Once part of the ancient Tea Horse Road linking Guizhou with Yunnan province, the formerly quiet village has seen a surge of visitors. “Thanks to the unique upward view of the bridge, visitor numbers have multiplied,” said Zhang Delin, an official of Pingjie township. “Tourists from across the country and even artists are coming to see this magnificent project.” According to him, once-barren fields and outward migration are giving way to a revival. An increasing number of young people have returned in recent years to start businesses around the bridge. One of them is Lin Guoquan, 35, who used to be a migrant worker and now runs a guesthouse in the village. His property offers a view of the bridge from its bedrooms. “We’ve been fully booked for days, and everyone wants to see the opening,” Lin said. On the opposite bank, Huajiang township in Guanling county is widening roads and building viewing platforms and other tourist facilities to handle crowds. From October 1 to 7, the bridge attracted over 200,000 tourists, and nearly 40,000 vehicles crossed it. 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