China today opened to traffic the Beipanjiang Bridge, the world's highest, which hangs over 1,800 feet above Beipan River.
According to local authorities, the bridge, which connects Guizhou and Yunnan provinces in the mountainous southwest, reduces travel time by as much as three-quarters.
Beipanjing Bridge will be used mostly by automobiles, authorities said, adding that it is the second longest steel-trussed cable-stayed bridge and the 10th tallest bridge tower in the world.
The 1,341-metre span cost over 1 billion yuan (USD 144 million – Rs 977 crore) to build. The construction work was started in 2013 and end this September.
The previous record was held by the Si Du River bridge. It crossed a valley in the Hubei province and hung 1,627 feet above ground.
Of the 20 main hyper-long bridges in the world, China has 17. Guizhou province alone has seven of them.
