2011 High Bridge Trip Photo Album
2011 China High Bridge Trip Photo Album
Hubei and Chongqing Provinces
The following images were all taken during the "2011 High Over China Bridge Trip" that took place during the month of August in several Western China Provinces. Bridge fans Roger Perrin of Great Britain and Georges of France joined me on HighestBridges.com's first ever 3 week tour to experience 50 of the world's highest bridge spans that included walks across most of the world's 10 highest road bridges. The special spans visited during the first week included Siduhe, Zhijinghe, Tieluoping, Longtanhe, Shuanghekou, Xiaohe and Caijiagou Bridges as well as a visit to Western China's most populous city of Chongqing where the world's longest span arch and beam bridges reside.
WEEK ONE
Our first bridge of the trip may not have been the highest at 80 meters but the location of Gangouzi Bridge above the Yangtze River Gorge made it one of the most beautiful and classical looking spans of the trip. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Georges of France frames up the view! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Just north of Yichang is the Xialaoxi Gorge Bridge. The creek empties into the Yangtze River just a couple of kilometers downstream of the bridge. This last stretch has become a popular tourist magnet with several suspension footbridges, cliff walks, boat tours and a bungy drop. We all enjoyed a dinner at the unique cliffside restaurant that is located inside of a cave! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Ian looks out from the lower beam bridge which serves the local road alongside the Yangtze River while the high bridge carries a 4-lane expressway to the 3 Gorges Dam. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Yiling Bridge is the only crossing of the Yangtze River located directly across from the city of Yichang. At the time of its construction in 2001 Yiling was one of the world's longest 3-tower cable stayed bridges with two central spans of 346 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Georges took a long walk to get a view of the bridge for his French Wikipedia bridge page. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The new Yichang Yangtze Railway Bridge has the 2 longest railway beam bridge spans in the world at 270 meters apiece albeit with the assistance of two tied arches. The new line continues on from Yichang to Wanzhou crossing 5 bridges more then 100 meters high. There is no other rail line in the world outside of China that has more then one bridge over 100 meters high! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Yichang Bridge was completed in 1998 and was one of the earliest long span suspension bridges to be built across the Yangtze River. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Georges enjoys a smoke on the towering Weijizhou Bridge while an officer captures the action on video. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
One of the first of many stops at a Chinese Sinopec gas stations. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Also in Yichang is the Gezhou Dam, the first one to be built across the lower Yangtze River. The 3 Gorges Dam is located approximately 40 kilometers upstream. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Opened in 2009, the G50 is the world's greatest high bridge highway. This was the most impressive of several large Western-style rest stops. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Houhe Bridge was another large beam bridge on the eastern end of the mountainous part of the G50. The bridge deck is 107 meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
We had a beautiful day for taking photos of Longtanhe, the largest beam bridge viaduct in the world with 3 main spans of 200 meters and a pier 178 meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A view looking down the 178 meter tall super pier. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Georges snaps a view of Longtanhe from the main road. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A view of the "backside" of the viaduct and my head! Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The town of Langpingzhen more then 60 stories below. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Wanzhou Railway crosses the 2nd of 5 bridges over 100 meters high just across the road from the Longtanhe Viaduct. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Tieluoping Bridge is the next monster along the G50 with a main span of 322 meters with towers 190 meters tall. The deck is 209 meters above the creek. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Transportation infrastructure fan Roger Perrin enjoys a stroll across the deck. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Georges of France decided to venture into the open tower entrance on the west end of the Tieluoping Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Georges got some spectacular views from the tower top. Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Wanzhou Railway line parallels the G50 for over 100 kilometers at a lower elevation with many more miles of tunnels. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Just East of Tieluoping is Guankouya Bridge, another 100+ meter high beam span. Image by Georges.
Traveling further east we encountered Shuanghekou, another huge beam bridge more then 200 meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
After rising several hundred meters in elevation, the G50 finally leads travelers to Siduhe, the highest bridge on earth at 1,627 feet or 496 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
I was finally able to confirm the bridge height with my laser rangefinder. Image by Roger Perrin.
Baziling tunnel at the east end of Siduhe Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Georges.
Roger and I made the scary but exhilarating walk on the world's highest catwalk nearly 1,600 feet / 490 meters above the Sidu River. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Ian, Roger and Mr. Chen enjoy the later afternoon view from the center of the span. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Mr. Chen threatens to make a BASE jump without a parachute! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
As our driver for the first half of the trip, Mr. Chen logged more then 1,000 miles behind the wheel of the Wu Ling mini-van. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Georges finally poses without a cigarette! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
This view will look very different in 2013 when a reservoir will fill up the lower 20% of the valley from the completion of a downstream dam. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Roger contemplates China's own version of the London Underground! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
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Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
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Click on Page 2 for Week Two with construction views of Aizhai Bridge and More!
