Difference between revisions of "Wanlong Bridge"

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[[File:WanglongbaoArch&Road.jpg|750px|center]]
 
[[File:WanglongbaoArch&Road.jpg|750px|center]]
A small arch bridge was constructed over the Wanglongbao creek parallel to a footbridge used for construction workers of the arch.  The two bridges are more then 100 meters high.  Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
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The Wanlong arch bridge as seen from the top of the Wanglongbao Bridge.  Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
  
  

Revision as of 21:38, 6 May 2014

Wanlong Bridge
湾龙桥
Fa’er Bouyei, Guizhou, China
(394) feet high / (120) meters high
(98) foot span / (30) meter span
2013

WanglongbaoArch&Footbridge.jpg


Wanlong Bridge is so small and inconsequential when compared to the 4 monstrous beam bridges of the nearby Shuipan expressway that most travelers will never even notice it on their long journeys between Shuicheng and Panxian Counties. But if you have the time and make the effort to hike down into the Wanglongbao gorge you will be rewarded with a fantasy scene straight out of a fairytale with a delightful white arch perched above an impossibly narrow crevasse that seems bottomless.

The new crossing was built to replace an older steel ropeway that ferried locals one or two at a time in a small and rickety basket that was dangerous for the local villagers who had no other way to cross the canyon.

The Wanlong Bridge also allows for some spectacular views of the 240 meter high Wanglongbao beam bridge several hundred meters downstream. Just two kilometers north of Wanglongbao is the massive Beipanjiang Bridge Shuipan expressway with the longest beam span ever attempted on a high level bridge with a distance of 290 meters between piers. Two kilometers south of Wanglongbao is the towering Laoyingyan beam bridge with 2 spans of 160 meters. The famous Beipanjiang Railway Bridge Shuibai crosses under the highway just 1 kilometer south of the Wanglongbao Bridge and makes for easy access for rail fans who want to check out the 275 meter high arch bridge. There are few places in the world where there are 6 high bridges in such close proximity to each other. The 4 giant beam bridges on the Shuicheng expressway are located at kilometers 31, 33, 35 and 37.


WanglongbaoArch&Canyon.jpg

Wanglongbao canyon looking west. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


WanglongbaoArch&Road.jpg

The Wanlong arch bridge as seen from the top of the Wanglongbao Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


WanglongbaoArch&CanyonView.jpg

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


WanglongbaoArch&Crevasse.jpg

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


WanglongbaoArch&Close.jpg

The footbridge is reported to be 38 meters long so the arch span is approximately 30 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


Wanglongbao&BeipanjiangValley.jpg

Beipanjiang River valley northeast of the Wanglongbao Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


WanglongbaoValleyCliffs.jpg

View of the deep canyon from the Wanglongbao expressway bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


WanglongbaoRopewayWide.jpg

A small ropeway crosses the Wanglongbao canyon. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


WanglongbaoRopewayLine.jpg

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com


WanglongbaoSatellite&Bridge.jpg

Wanlong and Wanglongbao Bridges satellite image.


BeipanSatellite&Highway&Bridges.jpg

A wider view showing the giant tunnel spirals of the Shuibai Railway that were necessary to reduce the steepness of the railway grade that descends hundreds of meters down into the Beipanjiang River gorge.


BeipanHighwayBridgesMap.jpg

Wanlong Bridge location map.