(CNN) --
Traveling through China's picturesque Yunnan province is about to get a little easier -- and more exciting -- thanks to the world's first single-tower, single-span suspension bridge set to open next month.
At 798 meters long over the Lvzhijiang River Valley, the length of the bridge may not seem that extreme when compared to some of the longest bridges in the world.
But the complexity of the project gives it recognition as an engineering marvel.
The bridge hangs over the Lvzhijiang (literally translated as "river of green juice") and juts out from tunnels that emerge from the steep mountainsides on each side of the valley.
The longest single-tower, single-span suspension bridge
The Lvzhijiang Bridge is a single-tower, single-span suspension bridge.
Credit: VCG/Getty Images
Authorities claim that the bridge will break several world records.
Built in a V-shaped mountain valley, it is the world's first single-tower, single-span suspension bridge;
it is only supported by a tower and is supported at both ends by cables.
There are no extra columns, which gives it an impressive look, as if defying gravity.
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The single span of the bridge, that is, the distance between the supports, is 780 meters.
Additionally, authorities say it has the steepest tunnel anchorage in the world, with an angle of 54 degrees.
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Due to the rugged landscape of the area, all the main support elements, the 156 meter high tower, the bridge approach slab at one end of the structure and the tunnel anchor at the other end of the structure, are built on steep slopes.
The project director told Chinese state media that "the height difference between the bridge deck and the assembly area is 320 meters, that is, about 100 floors... the complexity of this project is rare in China." ".
The bridge links neighboring Yuxi City and Yunnan's Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture and will radically shorten travel time to just two minutes.
The maximum speed limit on the bridge is 100 kilometers per hour.
Construction began in 2019 and the project took about three years to complete.
It is expected to open to traffic in late April 2022.
Connect Yunnan with the rest of China
When completed, the Lvzhijiang Bridge will shorten the journey between the two banks of the river from one and a half hours to two minutes.
Credit: VCG/Getty Images
Although both Yuxi City (famous for tobacco production) and Chuxiong, an autonomous region of the Yi ethnic group famous for its dinosaur museum, are not considered popular tourist destinations, the two areas are located right in the heart of the province. of Yunnan, between major cities such as Kunming and Dali.
The Lvzhijiang Bridge is a key section of the 190-kilometer Yuchu Expressway and the 9,000-kilometer Yunnan highway network.
The Yuchu Expressway links Yunnan with other major national highways, such as the Hangzhou-Ruili Expressway (a city in western Yunnan bordering Myanmar) and the Guangzhou-Kunming Expressway.
Building exceptional highways is not the only engineering feat this western Chinese province has achieved in recent months.
A new high-speed rail line between China and Laos was inaugurated in October 2021.
