A video (here, here and here) showing a well-structured steel tube arch bridge connecting two mountains, with a freshly painted road and vehicles passing over it, is being widely shared with the claim that it depicts the completion of NH-44 between Srinagar and Delhi. Let’s find out the truth behind this viral video.
Claim: The viral video showing a steel tube arch bridge with vehicles passing over it depicts the completion of NH-44 between Srinagar and Delhi.
Fact: The bridge in the video is the Dafaqu Grand Bridge, located in Guizhou Province, China. It is part of the Renhuai-Zunyi Expressway, not NH-44. The bridge, with a main span of 410 meters, is a key project in the Guizhou region, and has no connection to the NH-44 highway in India. Hence the claim is False.
To trace the source of the video, we conducted a reverse image search on Google, which led us to an extended version of the clip uploaded on YouTube by a channel named Comment with Lucia. The video includes many of the viral visuals and is titled “The Dafaqu Grand Bridge, located in Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China, is a remarkable engineering feat.” The description further confirms that the bridge is part of the Renhuai-Zunyi Expressway and serves as a key infrastructure project along the highway. This indicates that the video is not from India.
Further research led us to a similar video uploaded on YouTube by a channel named KSSE Engineer in March 2023. The caption read: “Zunyi Dafaqu Grand Bridge is a state-of-the-art structure: this arch bridge is amazing in view and strength.” The description added that the 1,427-meter-long bridge, with a main span of 410 meters, is one of the key projects along the Renhuai-Zunyi Expressway. It also noted that Guizhou is often referred to as “the museum of bridges” in China due to the number of bridges, their diverse designs, and the advanced technologies used in their construction.
A deeper search using relevant keywords led us to an exclusive report by the China Daily, published on 21 December 2022. According to the report, the Renhuai-Zunyi Expressway in Guizhou province officially opened, reducing travel time between Zunyi and Renhuai from 1.5 hours to just 30 minutes. A key highlight of the 52.4-km highway is the 1,427-meter-long Dafaqu Grand Bridge, celebrated as an engineering marvel. Located near Tuanjie village, the bridge is named in honor of Huang Dafa, an 88-year-old who spent 36 years constructing the Dafa Canal to bring water to his community. The expressway, built over four years with an investment of 12.8 billion yuan, features 101 bridges and 26 tunnels, and aims to enhance regional connectivity and economic development. Environmental measures include rainwater collection systems and irrigation setups along the route. The bridge is also expected to emerge as a popular tourist attraction.
A side-by-side comparison of the viral and original videos confirms that both feature the same bridge. The structure, design, surroundings, and distinctive arch of the bridge seen in the viral clip match exactly with those in the original footage of the Dafaqu Grand Bridge in Guizhou, China.
Additionally, NH-44, the longest highway in India, includes the northern stretch from Srinagar to Delhi, which is already operational. While several bridges have indeed been constructed in Kashmir as part of this project (here, here and here), the viral video in question is not related to this project. Similar misleading claims have surfaced earlier, where Chinese bridges were falsely shared as part of the NH-44 in Kashmir. Factly had previously debunked (here, here and here) such misinformation as well.
To sum up, photos of an arch bridge from China are falsely shared visuals showing parts of NH-44, connecting Delhi to Srinagar.
