2013 High Bridge Trip Photo Album/Week 2

2013 China High Bridge Trip Photo Album
Chongqing and Hunan Provinces

The special spans visited during this week included Wulingshan, Furongjiang, Aizhai, Mengdong, Qingping and Lishuihe Bridges. We also toured the amazing Tianmen Mountain, Zhangjiajie and Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon parks.

The first G65 expressway crossing of the mighty Wu Jiang River near Wulong City takes place within a spectacular gorge with cliffs that rise hundreds of meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The Wujiang Wulong River Bridge has a central span of 200 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The new Wujiang beam bridge in the center of Wulong City.Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

A triple span Wujiang River arch bridge in the center of Wulong city. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Our group headed south into the Furongjiang River region to seek out 2 high beam bridges. Along the way we all stopped to photograph a new concrete arch span. Image by Richard Scott.

The arch bridge we all photographed. Image by John Morrison.

The spindly piers of the new 2-lane Gouearxia Bridge. The 190 meter span beam crossing bypasses an older road that twisted down into the bottom of the canyon. Image by Richard Scott.

The central span of the Gouearxia Bridge is 145 meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Previous decathlon events have taken place that required contestants to rappel over the side of the bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The spectacular Furongjiang beam bridge with a central span of 240 meters. Image by Richard Scott.

The Furongjiang gorge looking north from the deck of the beam bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The Furongjiang beam bridge is 240 meters above the river. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The east pier of the Furongjiang Bridge is 110 meters tall. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The Furong River gorge looking south. Image by Bruce Lee.

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Just a few kilometers east of the Furong River is the Luoyan arch bridge which spans across a cut 120 meters deep. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

A view looking north up the Luoyan River gorge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

A brick factory was located on the edge of the river canyon. Image by Richard Scott.

Our journey along the Wujiang River took us across this new concrete arch span just west of Pengshui City. Image by John Morrison.

A view of Pengshui City from the old national road. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

This family in Pengshui City enjoyed serving us lunch. Image by Richard Scott.

The outside of the Pengshui restaurant near the Wu River waterfront. Image by Richard Scott.

These orange snacks became an obsession for Richard throughout the trip as they were not always easy to find in all the shops. Image by Richard Scott.

The second G65 crossing of the Wu Jiang is across this 200 meter beam span. The railway line crosses on the lower beam. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

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The third G65 crossing of the Wu is on yet another giant beam span. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

After a day of traveling along the Wu River, we finally went up the Yu River gorge which is a tributary and a major river in its own right. Several small arches carry the local roads high up along the slope. The Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

A footbridge across the Yujiang River near the G65 expressway. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The G65 crossing of the Yujiang River is about 100 meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The Wushan Mountain Bridge east of Qianjiang City carries the older national road more then 150 meters above a deep river gorge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Still one of the world's highest cable stayed bridges at 263 meters, the Wulingshan Bridge opened in 2009 with a span of 360 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The Wayyaobao Bridge carries the G65 about 80 meters above a deep mountain ravine. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The Qianjiang arch bridge carries national route 319 to a new airport that serves the city of Qianjiang. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Several new apartment complexes have sprung up around the new bridge crossing. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The new Qianjiang River Pipeline Bridge rises more then 147 meters above the canyon floor. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The Qianjiang River from the pipeline arch bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

I have come across something new and spectacular every trip I have taken to China but the most incredible find yet may well be the epic cliff sculpture of the goddess Avalokiteśvara (观音) just south of Qianjiang City. The bas-relief sculpture is reportedly 123 meters high with a width of 69 meters but the full height above the river is around 275 meters based on the height of the nearby pipeline bridge. This is approximately the same height as the entire Stone Mountain in Georgia which is 263 meters from summit to the flat terrain. The sculpture on Stone Mountain is just 48 x 23 meters with the outer cutout measuring 109 x 58 meters. This would make the Qianjiang Avalokiteśvara sculpture the largest of its type in the world. What is not clear is how much of the surface is made of concrete rather then just pure stone carving. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The face of the goddess Avalokiteśvara. The buddhist figure or deity is an important religious figure in many other countries including Burma, Tibet, Vietnam, Thailand, Korean, Japan, India and Nepal. Image by Richard Scott.

If you look carefully you can see the fingers of the goddess. Image by Richard Scott.

The scaffolding rises nearly a thousand feet from the river floor. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

2013 High Bridge Trip Photo Album/Week 2

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