The world is filled with amazing bridges spanning gorges, rivers and roads. In this list of the world’s tallest bridges, we look at 5 amazing structures, measured from the base of the structure to the bridge’s highest point.
5. Yachi Bridge
In fifth place is the Yachi Bridge near Daguanzhen (Guizhou province) with a height of 434 meters. The cable-stayed bridge crosses the Yachi – a section of the Wu Jiang – as part of the Qianxi Expressway. Its longest span is 800 meters. Built in 2016, it was actually the fourth-highest bridge until 2020, when it was replaced by the Jinshajiang-Jin’an Bridge.
4. Jinshajiang Bridge-Jin’an
At a height of 461 meters, the Jinshajiang-Jin’an Bridge (or simply Jin’an Bridge) has been carrying the Chengdu-Lijiang highway near Lijiang (Yunnan province) over the upper reaches of the Yangtze River – also known as Jinsha Jiang – since 2020. This makes it the fourth-highest bridge in the world. That is, at least sometimes. The structure is located above the Jinanqiao Dam, which sometimes dams up the river by 126 meters.
3. Puli bridge
The next highest bridge, Puli Bridge, is also located in Yunnan Province at 485 meters. The 1,040-meter-long suspension bridge takes its name from the Puli Gorge near Pulixiang, over which it carries the Hangzhou-Ruili highway. The structure, which was completed in 2015, has a span of 628 meters. The hybrid structure combines different bridge designs.
2. Siduhe Bridge
The Siduhe Bridge near Yesanguan (Hubei province) comes pretty close to 500 meters high. At 496 meters, it was the highest bridge in the world from 2009 to 2016. It carries the Shanghai-Chongqing highway through the Siduhe valley along a length of 1,100 meters. If you include the anchorage of the suspension cables as well, it is 1,222 meters long.
1. Beipanjiang Bridge (Duge Bridge)
Just 13 kilometers away from number three and part of the same freeway to boot, the Beipanjiang Bridge (also known as Duge Bridge) rises 565 meters above the Beipan Jiang valley near Duge between the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou. Since its opening in 2016, it has been by far the highest bridge in the world.
