CHINA – China launched the world’s tallest bridge on Sunday in Guizhou province after three years of construction. The bridge reduces travel time across a deep canyon from two hours to just two minutes.

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge rises 625 meters (2,051 feet) above the Beipan River, nearly nine times taller than San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

With a main span of 1,420 meters, it is now the longest-span steel truss girder suspension bridge in mountainous terrain, according to Guizhou authorities.

The 2,890-meter structure spans the Huajiang Grand Canyon, nicknamed “Earth’s crack,” and is the latest addition to China’s infrastructure network.

The previous tallest bridge, also crossing the Beipan River, lies just over 100 kilometers away and opened in 2016 with a vertical clearance of 565.4 meters

Guizhou, one of China’s less developed regions, has built more than 30,000 bridges, three among the world’s tallest. Nearly half of the globe’s 100 tallest bridges are located in the province.