This bridge built by China is so high that two Eiffel tower fit under it. And they have built it in just four years

We have been having bridges from prehistory. From that tree That someone would use to connect two sides to the majestic Roman bridges, humanity has evolved while doing the bridges he built. The more recent techniques They allow us to connect extremes that are separated by tens of kilometers, but Talk about bridges It is currently looking at China. They not only have The longest maritime bridgebut also the highest in the world. It is the Bridge of the Grand Canyon of Huajiang and the most surprising thing is not that under it two Eiffel Tower enter one over another, but that it has only taken four years to lift it. Necessary. The Gran Canyon of Huajiang is located in the province of Guizhou. It is an area that, traditionally, has been isolated from the rest of the area for a reason for weight: more than 90% of the territory is mountainous terrain that hinders communication. For centuries it did not have much importance for the rest of the empire, but China has been raising infrastructure (and also excavating) to demolish those geographical barriers. Puzzle. The objective of the government is to connect rural areas with urban centers and, in this case, you had to get the Liuzhi-Anlong highway to raffle the mountains to speed up transport times. The only way was through a bridge, and after an analysis period, in 2022 They started The construction of the great bridge. It was not going to be simple: it should not only be at a considerable height, but to have a length of almost three kilometers. And the problem was not so much to create the suspension bridge, but to raise the necessary materials. To do this, implemented Advanced technologies to raise steel beams by up to 215 tons of weight and, despite the difficulties in the field, the works have gone at a pone rhythm. To all fuse. That is what usually attracts the attention of these Chinese infrastructure that, weighing some exceptions such as half -building abandoned skyscraper For years, they are an example for the rest of the world. The works advance with speed and, if At the beginning of this year We already saw the two towers of 262 and 205 meters on both sides of the bridge, as well as the cables of 9,000 tons each, now we observe that they have already built the section that joins the ends. The length Total of the bridge is 2,890 meters and the main section, which is among the towers, has a length of 1,420 meters that positions it not only as the highest bridge in the world (it is 625 meters from the ground, reaching the end of the towers at 776 meters), but as the longest hanging section built in the mountainous area. The comparison with the height of the Eiffel Tower is interesting, but almost two Empire State Building would also enter. The technology used in construction is also interesting. For example, when the concrete pour, Guizhou Bridge Group builders devised a system of pipes that pump cold or hot water depending on the outer temperature to ensure that fresh concrete dried in the best possible conditions to avoid cracks. And, to guarantee maintenance, the cables have sensors that measure vibrations or wind intensity to offer reports on the state of the hanging section. Impact. In January of this year, it was reported that 75% of the project had been completed, but in recent months we have seen how they have advanced so much that it is practically only missing and installing the security elements. The idea is to open at some point in June this year and, once open, will allow Crossing the canyon in just a couple of minutes when before it was something for more than an hour. But beyond all this, the most impressive thing is that they have been able to build an infrastructure in a very complicated place and condense 439,000 m³ of concrete and 49,000 tons of steel in just four years. And the cost? In theory, 280 million dollars that are difficult to estimate whether they will recover by joining rural areas, but as infrastructure and demonstration of strength, the Huajiang Grand Canyon bridge is imposing. And will remove the record from the highest bridge Lege’s, also in China. Images | Xinhua (1, 2) In Xataka | With 526 meters in length, China has a new record of the longest glass bridge in the world

Cut the Eiffel Tower elevator cables

June 1940 was a month indicated in the heart of France. Also in the heart of an Adolf Hitler who could fulfill his dream of visiting Paris. At the dawn of the Second World Warand after eight months of tense calm known as’The joke war‘The Nazis attacked France. On June 2 bombed Paris, on June 10 the French government fled the city and on June 12, seeing that a resistance was useless that ended the city in ruins, it was declared that Paris was an ‘open’ city. On June 14, the first German guard entered, taking the city and ensuring everything for the triumphal arrival of a Hitler who had quickly conquered the mythical European city. What could not conquer was the sky of Paris: the rulers, with Charles de Gaulle At the head, they had abandoned the city to their fate, but the Parisians were clear that Hitler would not rise to the top of the Eiffel Tower. For the Insta. The Nazi expansion in Paris was fast. They occupied police and government posts quickly, hung a swastika in the Arch of Triumph and organized a parade through the Elysees fields within a few hours of entering the city, all for the press to immortalize the moment for propaganda purposes. In France a collaborative government was established, with Philippe Pétain (Hero of the World War I and traitor to the homeland in World War II) as the main puppet. That new government urged the army to stop fighting, which ends up opening the doors to the Germans. June 23 or 24 (the exact date is diffuse), Hitler arrived in Paris. He did it next to the Arno Breker sculptor and his right hand, the chief architect of the third Reich Albert Speer. Together, and with a tremendous entourage, they walked through some of the most iconic places in the city. Of the various famous photographs that the dictator and his collaborators were taken, perhaps the most famous was this, posing in front of the Eiffel Tower: A wonder. The tower, today icon of the city, opened in March 1889. From the first moment, the structure showed a pioneer installation: five elevators. Although not all were the same, the five were driven by hydraulic energy thanks to water deposits installed on each floor. The three water accumulators weighed about 200 tons each and maintained a pressure of between 40 and 60 bars. In 1899, They were modernizedwith hydraulic engines with high pressure oil. The most shocking thing is that two of the originals continue to work, passing security controls so that there are no mishaps because every year they travel about 103,000 kilometers. A real barbarity and a revolutionary engineering work in his day … that he could not enjoy Hitler. Hitler did not hug Paris. Up to the highest point of the Eiffel tower meant ’embrace’ Paris. From that point, we have an enveloping panoramic view of the city and, for the Nazi leader, it would have been as definitely crown the French pride. The Parisians did not allow it and, therefore, cut the wires of the elevators. In the occupation, accessing the tower was limited to German visitors, but in this way no one could rise. Not even Hitler, who chose to stay on the floor during his walk around the area. If I wanted to climb, I would have to do it on foot, and did not. Mine … or nobody. In August 1944, that triumphal atmosphere did not breathe in Paris, at least for the Germans. The allies approached the French city and, aware that the hours were told for the Nazi occupation in the city, Hitler ordered the general Dietrich von Choltitz That destroy the city, including the tower. The general disobeyed the order (either because he did not agree or because he had more important things than to do than destroy the city, leaving burned land), so construction, like so many others, remained in his place. Interestingly, Von Choltitz’s life has been taken to the cinema as “the Nazi who saved Paris”, although later historians have nuanced This story, stating that all he wanted was to save his skin and that he placed explosive loads in various parts of the city, but there came a time when he considered it useless to continue fighting. Ah! The elevators were repaired in 1946 and in the Spanish video game ‘Commandos 2’ we can not only climb to the highest point of the tower, but this is up to Nazis. In Xataka | Bundesarchiv, Bild In Xataka | The unfinished plan of the allies after beating the Nazis: choping Germany and turning it into the barn of Europe

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