The construction of the Lhasa River Bridge, a landmark project of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the highest railway in the world, was completed Friday.

Zhu Jutang, a director of the project, said the completion ensures that the railroad will be able to reach Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region and the end of the railway, this year. The 1,118-km railway on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "roof of the world", extends from Golmud in Qinghai Province.

The 928-meter bridge faces the Potala Palace, the historic residence of the Dalai Lamas and a UNESCO World Heritage site. "It will become a new tourist site for its colorful design," Zhu said.

The piers of the main body of the bridge resemble the legs of yaks, an animal native to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the piers of the bridge approach look like snow lotuses, a plant that only grows above the snow line.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2005)