Testing the World's Highest Bridge

For five days this past August, a fleet of 96 trucks weighing a total of 3,360 tons drove back and forth over the recently constructed Huajiang Canyon Bridge in Guizhou, China. The trucks crisscrossed different parts of the suspension bridge—the highest ever built—as part of a final safety test before it opened to the public. During the test, more than 400 sensors embedded in the bridge measured how it responded to the loads—or forces—exerted by the weight of the vehicles driving across it.

Construction on the bridge began in 2022. To create the roadway, engineers first built two towers, one on either side of the canyon. The deck of the bridge was built nearby in 93 sections. Engineers then used cables to hoist each section into place. The finished structure, which sits 625 meters (2,050 feet) above the Beipan River, officially opened this past November.