Houhe Bridge

Houhe Bridge
后河特大桥
Hejiapingzhen, Hubei, China
351 feet high / 107 meters high
492 foot span / 150 meter span
2009

Houhe is just one of several amazing structures on the last 300 mile (483 km) link of the 1,350 mile (2,175 km) long G50 West Hurong expressway that now connects Shanghai on the Pacific coast with the cities of Chongqing and Chengdu in the west. Bypassing the 3 Gorges region from Yichang in the east to the city of Zhongxian in the west, this 4-lane engineering marvel is home to Siduhe, the world’s highest bridge with a roadway 1,550 feet (473 mtrs) above the river and Zhijinghe, the highest roadway arch bridge in the world. It also has more than half a dozen other bridges that exceed 500 feet (150 meters) in height. This more direct route bypasses one of the toughest and most mountainous stretches of the Yangtze River. What once took more than a day of travel on dangerous mountain roads or a Yangtze River boat can now be safely traversed in 5 hours.

Houhe is located just east of the Hejiaping town exit. The approach roads from the toll booth twist and wind under the bridge to reach the elevation of the expressway.