Acrophobiacs beware… China's newest bridge isn't for the faint of heart.
Stretching 380m across a section of Zhangjiajie's Grand Canyon,
the new pedestrian bridge will have a completely glass floor. Visitors
who dare venture forth can see the full 300m drop to the canyon’s bottom
below. Construction is expected to be complete in July, and the bridge
will open to visitors in October.
This isn’t the region’s first towering glass floor – a glass skywalk hugs the cliff of Tianmen Mountain
– but the Grand Canyon instalment is expected to be the longest and
tallest glass-bottomed bridge in the world. Outside of setting records,
the glass architecture is meant to minimise any disruption to the
surrounding scenery.
“I believe in nature, harmony, balance and
beauty. Nature is beautiful as is,” said Haim Dotan, the Tel Aviv-based
architect who designed the bridge’s concept. “The Zhangjiajie Glass
Bridge was designed to be invisible as possible – a white bridge
disappearing into the clouds.”
With a suspension constructed only of two side steel beams, banisters
with side-hanging stay cables and a glass deck, the bridge may look
minimal – but it can withstand high winds, earthquakes, frost and the
weight of 800 visitors at a time.
Of course, if walking across it isn’t enough of an adventure, the bridge
also has plans to offer the highest bungee jump in the world, beating
out current record holder, the 233m Macau Tower bungee jump.
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