Industrial History: 1900 Goteik (Gohteik) Viaduct in Myanmar (Burma)

safe_image for Monster Trestle Bridge In The Jungle
It is 2,260' (689m, 0.43 miles) long and 335' (102m) high.

It was the highest railroad bridge in the world when completed in 1900. [BordersOfAdventure]

It was the second highest bridge in the world. "The trestle was designed in London. Pennsylvania Steel Company from Steelton USA was then awarded the contract in April 1899 to construct the trestle. Three steamers laden with steel components were shipped overseas from New York in August, October, and November of the same year. The construction project was overseen by Sir Arthur Rendel, engineer for the Burma Railway Company." [MyanmarTravel] I wonder which road bridge built before 1900 was higher.

Lat Aung App Pon Tone, Jun 2022, cropped

HighestBridges, Image by Martin Callum
It has 14 towers and one double tower.
"Although larger concrete viaducts and steel cantilever bridges were constructed before and after Gokteik, no other conventional box tower and girder type steel trestle has ever exceeded it in size except for the monstrous Lethbridge Viaduct in Alberta, Canada which is about the same in height but more than twice the length. The Joso bridge in the U.S. state of Washington, the Poughkeepsie bridge in the U.S. state of New York and the original Kinzua viaduct in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania are the only other traditional steel trestles that are equal in size to Gokteik."
[This "box tower and girder type steel trestle" is globally more rare than I realized. It must be a primarily North American design.]

This bridge was constructed in less than a couple of years. But the railroad between Burma and Yunnan was not finished in a timely fashion. [mdpi]