The highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world is scheduled to be completed in July. It will be located in Zhangijiajie, which is a national park in China. The bridge will offer spectacular views of the park’s scenery below as well as a thrilling experience.
High Above The Sky
The bridge will stretch from two cliffs in the Grand Canyon area of the park. In total it will be just over 1,400 feet and about 20 feet wide. It will have a 984 foot vertical drop as well. In comparison to other structures that are similar, it tends to offer a lot higher of a view off of the ground. For instance, the U.S.’s Grand Canyon Skywalk is only about 718 above the ground.
The Purpose Of The Bridge
Besides being a place to view the Zhangijiajie Park from high above, the bridge will be used as a runway for fashion shows in the future. It will also serve as the highest place to bungee jump in the world. With the uniqueness of the bridge it would come as no surprise if it was to be used in movies or television shows at some point in the future.
The Design Behind It
The bridge consists of two side steel beams with a glass deck. It has side suspension cables and handrails. It can hold as many as 800 people at one time. Haim Dotan, the designer of the bridge, designed it so that it would be as close to invisible as possible among the clouds. The architect of this footbridge was the same architect that designed the Expo 2010 Shanghai’s Israel Pavilion.
Despite the fact that the bridge will be completed in July, it will not be opened to the public until October. The Zhangjiajie Park has been open for public use since 2009. It’s 22 square miles in length and located in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. Admission to the park is about $40 from March 1 through November 30 and includes not only entrance to the park, but a sightseeing bus ticket as well. From December 1 through the end of February, the cost is only around $22. In addition to the glass-bottomed bridge, visitors can see waterfalls, lakes, caves and valleys. The park has a wealth of things to see both on and off of the bridge.
Renderings and photos courtesy of Haim Dotan Arichetcs
