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Constructing the highest bridge in the world

Afraid of heights? Look away now. China’s Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is a feat of extreme engineering that has resulted in the world’s highest bridge platform.The remote Guizhou province is one of China’s least developed.It’s riddled with deep river gorges and limestone karst valleys, and vertical drops of several hundred metres are common.

The province, which boasts abundant open space for renewables and rivers suitable for hydro power, has also become a focal point for the country’s economic expansion.In order to open up the resource-rich region, the central government has embarked on a road and bridge-building blitz.So much so that Guizhou is, remarkably, now home to all of the world’s 10 highest bridges.

The most spectacular of these is the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge.Modestly billed as a solution to a commuting problem, reducing hours-long detours to a casual two-minute crossing, this convenience comes off the back of some spectacular engineering. Faced with some of the most extreme geographical and geological challenges, even by Chinese standards, engineers knew conventional bridge construction methods wouldn’t cut it.The instability of the terrain and depth of the gorge eliminated the option to use support piers. That left only one option: a suspension bridge spanning nearly 1.5 km, with its deck soaring 625 m above the river.

By comparison, the Sydney Harbour Bridge span is less than half that length, and its deck is just 49 m above water.

Don’t ignore these emerging tech trends

Australia’s economic complexity has dipped. Here are 13 ways engineers could help turn the country’s fortunes around.

Australia’s economic complexity has dipped. Here are 13 technological trends engineers could consider to help turn the country’s fortunes around.

Australia may boast an above-average GDP, but its economic complexity is waning.

The country is less complex than expected for its income level, according to Harvard Growth Lab’s Atlas of Economic Complexity, which tracks global trade flows across markets and identifies countries’ growth opportunities.

In 1998, Australia ranked 70th in the Atlas of Economic Complexity. But as of 2023, we’d dropped to 105th out of 145 countries.

In the eight years to 2033, Australia is set to grow 1 per cent annually, ranking in the bottom half of countries globally, according to the report.

Industrial machinery, and optical and medical apparatuses are among the sectors quoted as having the highest potential for new technological investment, to drive the country’s industrial diversification as part of this growth.

Topical tech – To turn the trough into a crest, Australian engineering companies might want to consider the 13 tech trends that matter most as we near 2026, according to the McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2025.

5 major infrastructure projects that opened in 2025

From Bridgewater Bridge to the Melbourne Metro, this year has seen a number of high-profile projects come to fruition.

Bridgewater Bridge

Spanning engineering, ecology and heritage, the award-winning Bridgewater Bridge has set new standards for bold urban infrastructure.

“It’s a twin box girder of segmental construction erected using the balanced cantilever technique,” Project Director Peter Fraser explained. “That’s a fairly standard methodology for this span of bridge, although all designs are refined, changed and tweaked for each project.

“We prefabricated 12 barges specifically for the project and then we ballasted them onto the mud flats. That enabled us to build the bridge from the platform where the barge is formed without disturbing the mud and the flora while providing reliable construction access.”

Melbourne Metro

More than 42 m below the Melbourne CBD, a new metro tunnel is set to transform the city’s rail network.

With twin nine-kilometre tunnels, five deep-level stations, advanced signalling and a high-capacity communications-based train control (CBTC) system, this $15 billion piece of infrastructure is set to reshape how commuters move through the heart of the city.

The Metro Tunnel introduces Australia’s first network‑wide deployment of a CBTC system on a broad‑gauge railway. The Siemens HCS system uses continuous bidirectional radio communication between trains and control centres, replacing fixed‑block signalling with moving‑block operations.

EnergyConnect

Work is underway to connect the energy grids in NSW, Victoria and South Australia to improve reliability and security of electricity supply, and allow for future connections from renewable energy sources.

The 900 km transmission line is being built between Wagga Wagga in NSW and Robertstown in South Australia, with a connection to Red Cliffs in Victoria, and has been identified as critical to realising the Federal and NSW Governments’ shared vision for a clean energy future.

In order for the project to successfully connect the energy grids of the three states and integrate into the National Electricity Market, significant works are underway at the three substations.

Kangaroo Point Bridge

Built as part of Brisbane City Council’s Bridges for Brisbane Program, the Kangaroo Point Bridge is an active transport bridge designed to reduce 84,000 car trips across the river annually, as part of an overall transportation mode shift that’s also seen the introduction of the Brisbane Metro system.

And it may look graceful, but the bridge’s design is actually non-traditional. A pair of torsionally rigid trapezoidal steel boxes form the superstructure, which boasts a short back span matched by a much longer main span.

Energys hydrogen fuel cell generator

Energys has been responsible for Australia’s first commercial deployment of 10 kW hydrogen fuel cell generators across five remote telecommunications sites in Victoria. The project, commissioned in 2024 but recognised as Project of the Year at the 2025 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards, replaced existing diesel generators with hydrogen fuel cells. This eliminated the risk of diesel theft while also bringing decarbonisation gains.

“There’s no progress in society without engineers”

Australia’s Minister for Industry and Innovation reflects on the urgency of building Australia’s future industrial capability.

Australia is at a pivotal moment. What we do now will shape our place in a world economy built on technological solutions. Senator Tim Ayres, Australia’s Minister for Industry and Innovation, and Minister for Science shares his vision for the nation’s future success.

When Tim Ayres reflects on the urgency of building Australia’s future industrial capability, he tells a cautionary tale. He remembers the decline of the automotive sector in Australia, and the moment when factories closed and global manufacturers withdrew.

“What I’d observed in the years before the closure in and around the auto sector was that, though it was highly capital intensive – with lots of robotics and automation, and Australian research and design – there were enormous spillover benefits into the rest of Australian manufacturing,” the federal Minister for Industry and Innovation, and Minister for Science told create.

When the industry moved offshore, those benefits vanished. “Imagine how much less behind we would be in EV development, hybrid car development, the battery sector and the supply chain if there was still the tens of billions of dollars’ worth of development going on.”

Lovegrove & Cotton Lawyers Bulletin – 2025 – A Year In Review – In Pictures

2025 has been a very good year for Lovegrove & Cotton, marked by national and international engagements, major thought-leadership contributions, academic honours, and collaboration with industry leaders in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

From high-level policy roundtables and conference addresses to global meetings of regulators, professional bodies, and IBQC and CEBC leaders, the year has showcased the firm’s growing influence in building regulation, liability reform, and construction law.

This photographic collection captures the key moments, milestones, and relationships that shaped our 2025. Thank you to all who contributed to a year defined by momentum, recognition, and impact. Read article