The incredible £216m bridge that's the world's tallest passes key test

Trucks were parked on the bridge to test its strength. (Image: Getty)

A huge £216million bridge in China that is set to be the world's tallest has passed a key test. The five-day process took place ahead of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge's opening, earmarked for late September. The load test was the final check that the structure needed to pass so that it can be considered safe to carry traffic. Involved a testing team driving 96 trucks - weighing 3,300 tonnes in total - to particular points, chosen so as to test the bridge's strength.

The impreesive piece of infrastructure rises 625 metres above the Beipan River gorge in Guizhou province. It has set the global record for both the highest bridge overall, and the longest example built across an area with mountains. In April, Zhang Shenglin, chief engineer of Guizhou Highway Group, said "the overall progress of the bridge has reached 95%, and it is planned to be opened to traffic in the second half of 2025".

The structure is the world's tallest bridge. (Image: Getty)

He also told the state-run newspaper China Daily: "By then, this super project that spans the 'Earth crack' will be the world's first in both directions.

"It will become another landmark project to demonstrate China's infrastructure strength."

“This bridge is an unprecedented engineering feat,” said Wu Zhaoming of Guizhou Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd.

Engineers had to slice a mountain in half to make way for the bridge.

Video footage shared by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 1 showed the structure snaking through a hill that had been dramatically altered, with two portions of its top sloping inwards.

Officials say the scheme means motorists will be able to avoid an hour-long convoluted commute, instead crossing the bridge in just a minute.

The bridge needed to pass the test so that traffic can drive across it. (Image: Getty)

The longest bridge on Earth is the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge, also in China. It spans 102 miles, carrying high-speed trains across cities, lakes and rivers.

The structure was constructed by 10,000 workers, and took four years to complete.

France's Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge in the world that is currently open.

Taller than the Eiffel Tower, it is 343 metres high, and stands above the clouds in Creissels.