Perched high above the plunging valleys of Guizhou Province stands a testament to modern engineering. This is the Duge Beipanjiang Bridge also known as the Beipanjiang Bridge or the Duge Bridge. It is an amazing feat.
The Duge Beipanjiang Bridge isn’t just any bridge. It held the record as the highest in the world upon its completion in December 2016. Imagine a road deck reaching a dizzying height of 1854 feet above the Beipan River. That is higher than Chicago’s Sears Tower with 400 feet to spare.
Guizhou’s landscape is rugged. It is full of mountains and canyons. To conquer this terrain, China has built big bridges. Three of the world’s five highest bridges are in Guizhou. The king of these bridges is the Duge Beipanjiang.
The Duge Beipanjiang Bridge is a concrete cable-stayed bridge. It carries four lanes across the Beipan River. This bridge connects Xuanwei in Yunnan Province and Liupanshui in Guizhou. It dramatically reduces travel time. What once took four hours now takes just over an hour.
This was a massive construction project. Designers had to move the bridge’s final location higher. They avoided caves and cracking in the karst mountains.
The eastern tower of the Duge Beipanjiang Bridge is 883 feet tall. The expanse between the road deck and the river below is immense. It measures 1854 feet. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has a clearance of about 220 feet for comparison.
The Beipan River is also called the North Winding River. Vertical limestone cliffs drop so deep that much of the river is in shadow.
The G56 Hangrui Expressway was completed in 2016. It allows access into Yunnan Province. The extreme geography has produced the world’s highest bridge over the Beipanjiang River.
This high bridge insanity began in 2001. The Beipan River summoned the construction of the World’s Highest Railway Bridge. It stands some 275 meters above a boulder-strewn crevasse.
BASE jumpers from around the world test their limits here. In 2023, a BASE jump event was held at the Duge Bridge. It featured 25 jumpers from 11 countries. A Russian BASE jumper leaped from the bridge in late 2016. A Chinese BASE jumper also took an unauthorized jump.
To truly appreciate the Duge Beipanjiang Bridge, take a short 2-kilometer hike along the west side of the gorge. This leads to vantage points at the bottom of the gorge. You will be over 500 meters below the bridge deck.
In 2013, during a drought, the Beipan River’s water level was at 919 meters near Duge city.
What an impressive feat of engineering. The Duge Beipanjiang Bridge stands tall. It is a symbol of China’s determination to overcome any obstacle. It connects not only lands but also people.