The Duge Bridge (), also called the Beipanjiang Bridge, is a 4-lane
cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern o ...
on the border between the
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
of
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
and
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
. As of 2021, the bridge is
the highest in the world, with the road deck sitting over 565 metres (1,850 feet) above the
Beipan River
Beipan River () is a river in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, China, and part of the great Pearl River basin.
Other names
The upper reaches in Yunnan and Guizhou were once known as the Zangke River.
Course
The Beipan River passes through the mo ...
.
[ The bridge is part of the ]G56 Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway
The Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway (), designated as G56 and commonly referred to as the Hangrui Expressway () is an expressway in China that connects the cities of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and Ruili, Yunnan, a city on the border with Burma. When complete, ...
between Qujing
Qujing () is a prefecture-level city in the east of Yunnan province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the east and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the southeast; thus, it was called "Key between Yunnan and Guizhou" () and "Throat of Yu ...
and Liupanshui
Liupanshui () is a city in western Guizhou province, People's Republic of China. The name Liupanshui combines the first character from the names of each of the city's three constituent counties: Liuzhi, Panzhou, Shuicheng. As a prefecture-level ...
. The eastern tower measures making it one of the tallest in the world.
The bridge spans between Xuanwei
Xuanwei () is a county-level city in the northeast of Yunnan Province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the east. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Qujing.
Administrative divisions
Xuanwei City has 9 subdistricts ...
city, Yunnan and Shuicheng County
Shuicheng () is a district in the west of Guizhou province, China, bordering Yunnan province to the west. It is under the administration of Liupanshui city.
Biodiversity
Shuicheng is home to two amphibian species that are not known from anywhere ...
, Guizhou and shortens the journey between the two places from around five hours' drive to about an hour.
Construction
Construction of the bridge began in 2011. The bridge was completed on 10 September 2016, and was opened to the public on 29 December 2016. The bridge cost a total of ¥1.023 billion and took 3 years to build. It was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's highest bridge in 2018.
Gallery
File:BeipanjiangDugeByHighestBridges.jpg, Under construction
See also
*List of highest bridges
This list of highest bridges includes bridges with a deck height of at least . The of a bridge is the maximum vertical drop distance between the deck (bridge), bridge deck (the road, rail or other transport bed of a bridge) and the ground or wa ...
*List of tallest bridges
This list of tallest bridges includes bridges with a structural height of at least . The of a bridge is the maximum vertical distance from the uppermost part of a bridge, such as the top of a bridge tower, to the lowermost exposed part of the br ...
*List of longest cable-stayed bridge spans
This list ranks the world's cable-stayed bridges by the length of main span, i.e. the distance between the suspension towers. The length of the main span is the most common way to rank cable-stayed bridges. If one bridge has a longer span than anot ...
*List of largest bridges in China
This list ranks China's bridges by the length of main span. Only bridges with a main span of or greater are included.
Longest spans
Under construction
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, - style="background:#efefef;"
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References
Bridges in Yunnan
Bridges in Guizhou
Suspension bridges in China
Bridges completed in 2016
2016 establishments in China
Transport in Qujing
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