The Highest Bridge in the World Has a Terrifying 1,854 Foot Drop

The height of the tall bridges can inspire fear in people who must cross them. Some bridges are just a few dozen feet off the ground, but others are much higher. Today, we’re going to look at the highest bridge in the world, a 1,854-foot-tall bridge. Discover where this bridge is located, when it was built, and the type of animals that live in this area.

To be clear, the highest bridge in the world is not the same as the tallest bridge in the world. The highest bridge refers to the measure of the clearance below the bridge. That is the space from the bottom of the bridge’s deck to the land or water below it.

What Is the Highest Bridge in the World?

The highest bridge in the world is the Beipanjiang Bridge, and it has a clearance of 1,854 feet. This incredibly high cable-stayed bridge is also known as the Duge Bridge. This structure is located between the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in China. The structure is used to carry traffic over the Beipanjiang Grand Valley and the Beipan River below. This structure has a greater clearance below it than any other in the entire world, and the view from the bridge to the area below could be exhilarating or terrifying.

About the Beipanjiang Bridge

The Beipanjiang Bridge is a large structure that crosses the border between the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. The early phases of the bridge’s construction began in 2011 but work on the structure did not begin until 2013. The workers completed the structure in September 2016. The bridge was opened for use by the public in December 2016. This large bridge cost about ¥1.023 billion, equal to about $140 million.

The structure has a total length of 4,400 feet. While many other bridges in the world have greater lengths, this bridge is special since it has a very large single span. The longest span on the bridge measures 2,362 feet.

The bridge is 883 feet tall, about as tall as an 81-story building. However, the clearance below the bridge is over double that amount, a record-setting 1,854 feet. China was also home to the previous record for the highest bridge in the world. The Sidu River Bridge stands 1,500 feet tall, and it is located in the Hubei province.

This bridge carries four lanes of traffic over the valley, halving the time it takes for people to travel from Xuanwei to Shuicheng County.

Where Is the Beipanjiang Bridge on a Map?

The Beipanjiang Bridge travels between the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. The structure is about 2 miles downriver from Duge Town, a town on the Beipan Jiang River. Finding the river on a map can prove difficult. However, if one follows the G56 Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway through either one of the provinces, the bridge becomes very apparent.

What Wildlife Lives Near the Highest Bridge in the World?

The two provinces near the Beipanjiang Bridge have many different animals living within their borders. People visiting this region could see a wide assortment of mammals, birds, fish, insects, and reptiles. Some of the animals that people can encounter in this part of the world are:

• Long-tailed shrike
• Rhesus macaque
• Chinese blackbird
• Oriental greenfinch
• Amur hedgehog
• Chinese green snake
• Crested myna

Now that we’ve looked at the different animals that one could see on land and in the air, take a look at some of the fish that live in the river that flows in the valley below the bridge.

• Asian swamp eel
• Goldfish
• European carp
• Amur goby

All told, this area has a lot of biodiversity and many sorts of creatures living in the area.  

Comparing the Beipanjiang Bridge to the Highest Bridges in the United States

The highest bridge in the world has a much greater clearance below it than any bridge in the United States. As the chart above shows, the highest bridge in the United States is the Royal Gorge Bridge, a structure that is 955 feet high.

That means the Beipanjiang Bridge is nearly twice as tall as the highest bridge in the U.S.! Several other bridges come close to the Royal Gorge Bridge in terms of height. The Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge has a clearance of 900 feet high.

To provide a little more context for people to understand the height of these bridges, let’s compare the bridge to a building. The One Trade Center Building, also called the Freedom Tower, stretches 1,776 feet into the air. This entire building could fit in the space below the Beipanjiang Bridge!

All in all, the highest bridge in the world could provide a view like no other. Seeing a man-made structure pass over such a deep valley is enough to give anyone a sense of awe at modern architecture.