Traveling through the scenic province of Yunnan in China is about to get a little easier and a lot more thrilling, with the world's first single-tower, single-span suspension bridge opening next month.
At 798 meters above a river valley, the Lvzhijiang Bridge might not sound all that extreme compared with some of the longest bridges in the world. Yet the sheer complexity of the project makes it a true engineering marvel.
The bridge hangs above the Lvzhijiang (which literally translates to "Green Juice River") and emerges from tunnels that open onto the steep mountain slopes on either side of the valley.
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The Longest Single-Tower, Single-Span Suspension Bridge
Officials say the bridge breaks several world records.
Built in a V-shaped mountain valley, it is the world's first single-tower, single-span suspension bridge; it rests on just one tower and is held up at both ends by cables. There are no additional columns, which gives it a dramatic, gravity-defying look.
The bridge's single span, the distance between its two supports, measures 780 meters. On top of that, officials say it features the world's steepest tunnel anchor, set at an angle of 54 degrees.
Because of the rugged terrain, all of the main supporting elements (the 156-meter tower, the bridge approach at one end of the structure and the tunnel anchor at the other) are built into steep slopes.
The project manager told Chinese state media that "the height difference between the bridge deck and the assembly site is 320 meters, roughly the equivalent of 100 stories... the complexity of this project is rarely seen in China."
The bridge connects the neighboring city of Yuxi and the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, and it will significantly cut travel time.
The maximum speed limit on the bridge is 100 kilometers per hour.
Construction began in 2019 and took about three years. It is expected to open to traffic in late April 2022.
Connecting Yunnan With the Rest of China
While the city of Yuxi (known for tobacco production) and Chuxiong (an autonomous region of the ethnic Yi people, famous for its dinosaur museum) are not considered popular tourist destinations, the two areas sit right in the heart of Yunnan province, between major cities such as Kunming and Dali.
The Lvzhijiang Bridge is a key section of the 190-kilometer Yuchu Expressway and Yunnan's 9,000-kilometer expressway network.
The Yuchu Expressway links Yunnan to other major national expressways, such as the Hangzhou-Ruili Expressway (Ruili is a western Yunnan city bordering Myanmar) and the Guangzhou-Kunming Expressway.
Building spectacular expressways is not the only engineering feat this western Chinese province has pulled off in recent months. In October 2021, the new China-Laos high-speed railway opened.
