China has become a hotspot for the construction of bridges as it seeks to develop its transport infrastructure.
The country now boasts some of the highest bridges in the world, which are improving connectivity throughout its large territory.
Five of the world’s tallest bridges can today be found in the Middle Kingdom, two of which are in Yunnan province in the southwest.
One of these is the Puli Bridge, which forms part of the G56 Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway between Liupanshui and Xuanwei.
Completed in 2015 the suspension bridge cost £55 million and reduced the travelling time from Xuanwei to the Guizhou border from four hours to just one.
It is 1,040 metres long and takes its name from the Puli Gorge near Pulixiang, over which it carries the Hangzhou-Ruili highway.
The bridge stands at an impressive 485 metres above the ground and is the third highest in the world.
The main span of 628 metres is unique among China’s highest suspension bridges in that it has a thin, steel box deck girder instead of the usual truss.
The towers have a maximum height of 156.5 metres supporting two main cables composed of 91 full-length cable strands.
The construction of bridges in China has proliferated in recent years due to a number of reasons.
In addition to the extremely mountainous regions with deep valleys, there is also a construction policy background.
Roadways and railroads in the form of bridges require much less land than land-based infrastructure and are therefore preferred in China.
This saves around 2.9 hectares of land per kilometre of railroad line.
In addition, important transportation routes can run through densely built-up areas without having to avoid buildings or cutting off urban areas from each other.
The mostly prefabricated structures are also quick to build and easy to maintain. Puli Bridge lies just 13 kilometres from Beipanjiang Bridge, the highest one in the world.
