China cuts mountains to make highway, leading straight to the world's highest bridge

(Dan Tri) - Chinese engineers chose to "shave flat" the mountainside instead of drilling a tunnel through the mountain to build the Luc An expressway leading straight to the Hoa Giang gorge bridge, known as the highest in the world.

In Guizhou Province, China, the terrain of this province is 92% mountains and cliffs. Due to the complex terrain, when building the Lu'an Expressway, the engineers had no choice but to cut through the mountainside, crossing the area's rugged terrain.

This will be a highway leading directly to the highest bridge in the world .

China cut mountains to make a highway, leading straight to the highest bridge in the world ( Video source: News).

Previously, the media mentioned the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge. The bridge is expected to be inaugurated at the end of this year, and is known as the world's tallest with a height of 625m spanning the Beipan River valley.

However, the highway leading to this bridge has recently become the center of attention on social networks.

A series of viral videos show that instead of tunneling through the mountain or making a detour, the construction team cut the entire mountainside flat to make way for the highway. Many people were overwhelmed by the scale and boldness of the project.

Planners say they were forced to take this measure because the terrain is too difficult. However, environmentalists argue that other options exist to protect the landscape.

The Huajiang Gorge Bridge is about to open to become the world's highest bridge (Photo: News).

Besides the Lu'an Expressway, China also owns many other impressive infrastructure projects, such as the "wonder" river-crossing highway or suspension bridges.

Meanwhile, the Huajiang Gorge Bridge is also a project that is expected to boost the economy of the mountainous province of Guizhou. The project is built at an altitude of 625m above the Beipan River, expected to shorten the time to cross the mountain from one hour to just a few minutes.

Built in just three years at a cost of around $283 million, the Huajiang Gorge Bridge spans the Beipan River in Guizhou Province, southwest China. The "mega-project" is built on the 80km long Hua River canyon, which is known as the "crack in the Earth". The structure has a total length of around 2,980m.

China has plenty of experience with suspension bridge projects described as being at dizzying heights. Before completing the Huajiang Gorge Bridge, the country already had eight of the world's 10 highest bridges.

For this new bridge, engineers chose a suspension bridge design to suit the harsh environmental conditions at the height of the Huajiang Gorge. The bridge is specially designed to withstand the strong winds at this height.

The rugged Guizhou mountains make it difficult to transport construction materials, and the difference in air temperature between day and night creates strong winds and unfavorable weather conditions, making construction difficult, according to Mamdouh El-Badry, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Calgary.

At present, the Beipan Bridge (or Duge Bridge) located in the border area between Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, is the record holder for the highest bridge in the world.

This is a 4-lane cable-stayed bridge, located at an altitude of more than 565m above the Bac Ban River, with a length of 1,341m. The project has held the world record since 2016.

Since the opening of Bac Ban Bridge, it has helped boost tourism and the economy of neighboring localities, shortening driving time from 5 hours to just 1 hour. The project has a total investment of about 147 million USD.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/trung-quoc-xe-nui-lam-duong-cao-toc-dan-thang-toi-cau-cao-nhat-the-gioi-20250809232639589.htm