The Baluarte Bridge, the highest cable-stayed bridge in the world, was today inaugurated by Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
Situated in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in the north of the country, it has a maximum drop from the surface of the deck to the bottom of the Baluarte River of 402.57 m (1,321 ft) and measures 1,124-m (3,688-ft) long - enough room to fit Paris' Eiffel Tower underneath its central span.
The bridge, which took four years to build at an estimated cost of £110million is supported by 12 concrete piers, the tallest of which measures 153 m (502 ft) from its underground foundations to the road level. Piers five and six on the bridge support two 101-m-tall (331-ft) masts, achieving a total height from the underground foundations to the top of the masts of 158.5 m (520 ft) and 169 m (554 ft) respectively.
The grand opening of the bridge formed part of celebrations to mark 200 years of Mexico's independence from Spain. It is expected to open to traffic later this year.
The absolute highest bridge in the world, however, still remains the Si Du River Bridge in Badong County, Hubei, China. Opened to the public in November 2009, it has a deck situated 472 m (1,549 ft) above the valley - making it more than high enough to accommodate the Empire State Building beneath it.
The 2,460-m (8,070-ft) long Millau Viaduct across the Tarn Valley, France, is the world's tallest bridge. Supported by seven concrete piers, the tallest of which measures 244.96 m (804 ft) from the ground to the road deck, the piers also supports seven 87-m-tall (285-ft) masts, making the maximum total height from the top of the masts to the deepest point in the valley 343 m (1,125 ft).
