Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows a tower of the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

PINGTANG, Dec. 31, 2019 (Xinhua) --With the highest concrete bridge tower in the world, Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province on Monday opened to traffic.

Located in Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Qiannan, the bridge, a colossal cable-supported viaduct that spans 2,135 meters across a canyon, will serve as a major connection on the Pingtang-Luodian Expressway.

A total of 1.5 billion yuan (about 215 million U.S. dollars) was invested into the construction of the bridge.

The opening of the bridge will reduce the travel time between Pingtang and Luodian from over two and a half hours to about one hour, and will facilitate poverty alleviation in the rocky desertification areas of Guizhou and nearby Yunnan Province as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2019 shows the Pingtang Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)■