Jinsha River Grand Bridge Over Tiger Leap Gorge in Yunnan
Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia 香丽高速虎跳峡金沙江大桥
Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia, situated just a short distance upstream of the renowned Tiger Leaping Gorge in China, along with its parallel railway counterpart, stands as the most photographed and recognized suspension bridges in Yunnan Province.
The Jinshajiang Hutiaoxia Bridge is the largest and highest among the numerous stunning bridges along the Xiangli G0613 Beijing Tibet Expressway, connecting the popular tourist destinations of Lijiang and Shangri-La. A journey that once took three hours on the hazardous local G214 road now offers a scenic 90-minute drive, traversing the picturesque Jinsha River gorge and crossing numerous deep creek canyons and valleys. Several of these beam bridges soar above 100 meters in height, including the Yanyang Number 1, Gunawan, Shangyuan Number 1, Shangbuluo, and Walibie Bridges.
Extensive site studies were conducted before the final design of the Hutiaoxia suspension bridge was chosen. Early designs included a conventional two-tower suspension bridge with a 902-meter main span near the confluence of the Jinshajiang and Chongjiang Rivers, and a multi-span extradosed configuration with three spans of 260 meters.
Ultimately, engineers selected a narrower location downstream requiring a main span of 766 meters. However, the steep slope on the west side posed a challenge for a large tower foundation. Consequently, the decision was made to anchor the cables directly into a mountain tunnel, resulting in the creation of the world’s largest single tower suspension bridge span.
While previous suspension bridges with only one tower or even completely towerless footbridges existed, none matched the scale of the Jinshajiang Hutiaoxia Bridge. This single tower record was surpassed in 2022 by the Lvzhijiang Bridge in Yunnan Province, boasting a main suspension span of 780 meters.
Renowned for its engineering feat, the Jinshajiang Hutiaoxia Bridge features a total length of 1,020 meters, including six approach spans of 41.5 meters each. The tower on the south side stands at 149.5 meters tall, while the truss sections measure 11.5 meters in length and 6.615 meters in depth.
Click on the excellent YouTube channel “Chinese Bridge” to see a video of the Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvjBaeUG2vo
Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia Elevation
Direct size comparison between Lvzhijiang and Jinshajiang Hutiaoxia Bridges, the two longest span single tower suspension bridges in the world.
Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia west saddle elevation.
Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia east saddle elevation.
Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia west tunnel anchor.
Image by John Filmer.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
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A view of the Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia if the reservoir ever forms beneath the crossing.
Foundation work underway on the south tower.
The Dazi Bridge in Tibet has only one tower with a high cliffside anchorage supporting a main span of 415 meters.
The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge between Canada and the U.S. was once the longest suspension bridge in the world with a main span of 317 meters supported by stubby foundation towers approximately 5 meters tall.
An early towerless suspension design for the Zhijinghe Bridge supported on short towers about 20 meters tall.
An elevation of the towerless Metsovitikos Bridge in Greece that was never built.
Donau Bridge across the Danube River with a towerless span of 300 meters under construction for a 2024 opening.
The main parking area for tour buses headed into the Tiger Leaping Gorge. The mountains in the background rise almost 4,000 meters from the river to the highest peaks. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A view looking south where the large expressway and railway suspension bridges will cross more then 200 meters above the gorge when they are completed by the year 2020. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A narrow, less accessible trail traverses the east side of the river canyon with few tourists. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The giant viewing platform overlooking the famous Tiger Leaping rock has been exapnded to handle much bigger crowds. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Peter Wu.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The giant rock made famous by the tale of a Tiger Leaping across the river. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
There are glass panels on the edge of the viewing platform. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Wealthier tourists can pay to have themselves carried up and down the steps. Image by John Filmer.
Image by John Filmer.
The north entrance and exit tunnels of the Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia that are located behind and below the hillside anchorage and bridge approach tunnels.
Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia satellite image.
The left Jinshajiang Hutiaoxia crossing is the expressway bridge and the right crossing is the railway bridge.
Jinshajiang Bridge Hutiaoxia location map.
