The Grand Canyon Huajiang bridgewith his 625 meters height compared to the level of the underlying Beipanjiang river, is the highest suspended bridge in the world. The work was carried out in high -performance concrete and reinforced steel And it is located in the autonomous county Miao di Bouyei and is part of a highway that connects the special district of Liuzh and the county of Anlong. Long 2 890 meterswas finished in 2024, requesting only 3 years of work.
The characteristics of the suspended bridge
The bridge was made using high -performance concrete and reinforced steel and is anchored to two towers: the first, the north tower, is high 262 meters While the second, the south tower, measures 205 meters. The total length of the bridge is of 2 890 meters And on the entrance section there are a dozen spans of about 40 meters. There main spanwhich is the one overlooking the Beipanjiang river, is long 1 420 meters.
From a purely aesthetic point of view, the designers of the Huajiang bridge wanted to give the span one aspect classic who remained pleasant to the eyes even over the years. Nowhere is this more evident that in the connections between the towers, which recall the era Art Décowith a connection to several levels on the top of the tower that presents spectacular backgrounds that will remind many of theGolden Gate Bridge of San Francisco.
The operating mechanism of the bridge
We said the Grand Canyon Huajiang bridge is a suspended bridge. This means that the deck, that is, the road section, is anchored to steel cables. Are the Main cables To be the first structural elements placed under the effort due to the loads exercised by the deck.
Then there are the second cables, even called vertical tie rods. These vertical cables, thinner than the main cables, connect the main cables to the deck, distributing the weight uniformly along the span. In turn, the cables transfer to the towers the loads due to the weight of the road impalcato, and these, in turn, transfer the loads to the ground.
In modern suspended bridges, as in that of the Grand Canyon Huajiang, the structure of the deck is built with a structure a reticular beam in steel to ensure rigidity and wind resistance. At the ends of the bridge, the main cables are firmly anchored to massive reinforced concrete structures or rock, given that they must resist the enormous traction exercised by the cables.
A bridge as a tourist attraction
The Grand Canyon Huajiang bridge was conceived not only as a great work of civil engineering, but also as one tourist attraction real, able to recall people from all over the world, to allow them to enjoy the beauty of the panoramas and the surrounding uncontaminated nature. The points of tourist interest, near the bridge are different.
The first attraction is a glass lift which will go up to the top of the South Tower, where guests will be able to enjoy the Stargazing Bar and Café, located directly between the two main saddles of the cables, more than 180 meters above the road bridge. Just below the road bridge, the lift will leave the guests inside the goat, where a catwalk 800 meters long will lead through different tourist rooms with glass floors that will allow guests to “float” apparently a 224 And 404 meters from the ground.
Then there is one last platform, where the trellis catwalk reaches a maximum height of 620 meters Above the Beipan river. Here, the Bungy Jump highest in the world will allow the most reckless to launch in the void of Huajiang’s Grand Canyon. For those who are not so fearless, the last platform offers others glass panels to walk on And another bar where you can eat and enjoy the view of the deepest river canyon of the Guizhou.
The Huajiang canyon bridge website will also host a huge tourist center in Zaha Hadid style, which will show it development of the suspended bridge andAncient history of the canyon and his population. Those who want to explore the area further will be able to stay in private bungalows overlooking the bridge, allowing time for a more peaceful journey by car to the bottom of the canyon, where an old chain bridge in 1898 offers a historical context to the last 125 years of development of bridges in China.
