With a main span of 1,146 meters and a deck height of 350 meters, it is the sixth-highest bridge in the world and the world's twelfth-longest suspension bridge. Of the world's 400 or so highest bridges, none has a main span as long as Aizhai. It is also the world's highest and longest tunnel-to-tunnel bridge.
Construction on the Aizhai Bridge began in October 2007 and was completed by the end of 2011, ahead of schedule.The bridge was temporarily opened to pedestrians during the 2012 Spring Festival and was formally opened to traffic in March 2012.
The bridge was built with the assistance of a $208 million loan from the Asian Development Bank; the loan also funded 64 kilometers of expressway construction and upgrades to 129 kilometers of local roads. The bridge and the associated road construction reduced the travel time between Jishou and Chadong from 4 hours to less than 1 hour.
矮寨特大悬索桥，位于湖南省吉首市矮寨镇，是中国国家高速公路网主干线包茂高速公路吉首－茶峒段的关键工程，跨越德夯峡谷，主跨跨径1176米，是世界上峡谷跨径最大的钢桁梁悬索桥。桥面宽度为24.5米，双向四车道，桥面距峡谷底部高度为355米。于2007年10月开工建设，2012年3月31日建成通车。
