World’s tallest bridge unveiled in Mexico

Mexico has opened the world’s tallest bridge, which is so tall that the Eiffel Tower could easily fit under its central span.

Built over a deep ravine in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains of northern Mexico, the 403m-tall (1,322ft) Baluarte bridge was opened by President Felipe Calderon on Thursday.

Guinness World Record officials were on hand at the opening ceremony to present an award officially recognising the bridge as the tallest in the world.

The 1,124m-long (3,687ft) bridge is part of a new highway that crosses Mexico’s highly rugged terrain, from Mazatlan in Sinaloa on the Pacific Coast to Durango – an inner state of the country.

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The bridge, marking 200 years of the country’s independence from Spain in 1810, was also built to unite the people of northern Mexico – by reducing journey times between states by as much as six hours.

As the highest cable-suspension bridge in the world, it has surpassed France’s Millau Viaduct.

Its record-breaking height is measured from its tallest point to its visible base where it emerges from the ground.

It took four years to build and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.