Learn about the record-breaking suspension bridge in Yunnan, China

(CNN) – Scenic travel Yunnan Province in China It’s about to get a little easier – and more exciting – thanks to the world’s first single-tower suspension bridge opening next month.

With a length of 798 meters over the valley of the Lvzhijiang River, the length of the bridge may not seem too extreme when compared to some of the longest bridges in the world. But the complexity of the project gives it recognition as an engineering marvel.

The bridge overhangs the Lvzhijiang River (which literally translates as “Green Juice River”) and emerges from tunnels that jut out from the steep mountainsides on either side of the valley.

The longest single-tower suspension bridge

The Lvzhijiang Bridge is a single tower suspension bridge with a single span.
Credit: VCG / Getty Images

The authorities claim that the bridge will break several world records.

Built in a V-shaped mountain valley, an area The world’s first single-tower suspension bridge; It is supported by a tower only and is supported at both ends by cables. There are no additional pillars, which gives it an impressive, gravity-defying appearance.

The length of the single bridge, i.e. the distance between the two supports, is 780 metres. Additionally, authorities say it contains the world’s steepest mooring tunnel, at a 54-degree angle.

Due to the rugged landscape of the area, all the major support elements, the 156-meter-high tower, bridge approach loom at one end of the structure and tunnel anchorage at the other end of the structure, are built on steep slopes.

The project manager said to Chinese state media That “the height difference between the bridge deck and the assembly area is 320 meters, which is about 100 floors… The complexity of this project is rare in China.”

Connecting the neighboring city of Yuxi and Yunnan’s Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the bridge will drastically shorten the travel time to just two minutes.

The speed limit on the bridge is 100 kilometers per hour.

Construction began in 2019 and the project took about three years to complete. It is expected to open to traffic in late April 2022.

Connecting Yunnan with the rest of China

When completed, the Lvzhijiang Bridge will shorten the journey between the two banks of the river from an hour and a half to two minutes.
Credit: VCG / Getty Images

Although both Yuxi (famous for tobacco production) and Chuxeon, an autonomous region of Yi ethnic group are famous for their Dinosaur MuseumThe two areas are not popular tourist destinations, and are located in the heart of Yunnan Province, between major cities such as Kunming and Dali.

Lvzhijiang Bridge is a major part of the highway Liuzhou Expressway190 km and the road network in Yunnan is 9000 km.

The Liuzhou Expressway connects Yunnan with other major national highways, such as the Hangzhou-Ruili Expressway (a city in western Yunnan on the border with Myanmar) and the Guangzhou-Kunming Expressway.

Building exceptional highways is not the only engineering feat that this western Chinese province has achieved in recent months. In October 2021, a New high-speed railway between China and Laos.