Located in the Himalayas in the northeastern part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in Asia, the Chicham Bridge is said to be the world’s highest-elevation bridge, standing at 13,244 feet above sea level and a deep, 1,000-foot gorge. Some who drive over the 373-foot bridge get the chills.
Before the bridge was built, people in the surrounding villages used a dangerous ropeway to cross this exposed drop. To get to the opposite side, you had to manually pull the rope on your own. Imagine if something went wrong as you crossed over a 1,000-foot gorge on a self-operated manual ropeway.
Even in its current state, Indian tour company Sea Water Sports warns visitors to the Chicham Bridge to exercise caution when crossing the bridge, as it can be quite windy because of its high elevation and the surface can often be slippery.
The 15 years it took to build the Chicham Bridge was worth it for the people of Kibber and Chiman in the Spiti Valley. This suspension bridge opened for vehicles in 2017. Creating this bridge shortened the distance travelers had to go from Kibber to Losar by 40 kilometers and was a relief to the locals needing to travel across the 1,000-foot gap.
The tallest bridge in the world (including its own structure) is the Millau Viaduct in France, standing 1,125 feet tall.
The Duge Beipanjiang Bridge in southwest China is dubbed the highest bridge in the world, because it stands 1,854 feet above the valley below, but is at a much lower elevation than the Chicham Bridge nestled in the Himalayas.
While these highest, tallest, highest-at-elevation bridges are all in competition for the most dangerous bridge in the world, it’s safe to say the Chicham Bridge at 13,000 feet in elevation is the sketchiest suspension bridge we’ve seen.
Would you cross this bridge?
