Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

Zhangjiajie Glass footpath is a skywalk bridge in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, above the Wulingyuan area. The bridge, built as an attraction for tourists, is glass-bottomed and is transparent. When it opened it was the longest and tallest glass bottomed bridge in the world. The bridge, opened to the public on August 20, 2016, measures 430 metres (1,410 ft) in total length and 6 metres (20 ft) in width, and is suspended about 300 metres (980 ft) above the ground.[1] The bridge spans the canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in the northwest of Hunan province. It is designed to carry up to 800 visitors at a time. The bridge was designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan.[2]

Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

张家界大峡谷玻璃桥
Coordinates29.3987°N 110.6982°E / 29.3987; 110.6982
CarriesFootbridge
LocaleZhangjiajie, Hunan
Characteristics
DesignSuspension
MaterialSteel
Width14 m (46 ft)
Height360 m (1,180 ft)
Longest span430 m (1,410 ft)
Clearance below300 m (980 ft)
History
OpenedAugust 20, 2016
Statistics
Daily traffic8,000
Location
Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge
Simplified Chinese张家界大峡谷玻璃桥
Traditional Chinese張家界大峽谷玻璃橋
Literal meaningZhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge
Official Chinese stylized name
Simplified Chinese云天渡
Traditional Chinese雲天渡
Literal meaningCloud Sky Crossing

To build the bridge, engineers erected 4 support pillars on the edges of the walls of the canyon. The bridge is made of a metal frame with more than 120 glass panels. Each of these panels is 3-layered and is a 2-inch-thick slab of tempered glass. There are 3 long swings attached to the underside of the bridge. Also there is a provision for making a 285 metres (935 ft) bungee-jump. This is considered to be highest such jump in the world.[3]

According to the Management Committee of the Bridge, the bridge has set ten world records spanning its design and construction.[4]

The record as longest glass bridge has since passed to a glass bridge in the Hongyagu Scenic Area, Hebei.[5]

Closures

On September 2, 2016, just 13 days after the bridge was opened, the authorities put out a notice saying that they were closing the bridge due to overwhelming visitor traffic.[6] The bridge, designed to hold 800 people at a time and expected to be visited by about 8,000 people per day, had reportedly attracted more than 80,000 visitors per day.[7] The authorities said that the government decided to suspend operations due to the "urgency to improve and update" the attraction, including its car parks, ticket-booking system, and customer service. The bridge reopened on September 30, 2016.[8]

See also

References
  1. "World's tallest and longest glass bridge closes after just two weeks". Dezeen. 2016-09-05. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  2. Shankar (2018-01-19). चीन में कांच का पुल history of glass bridge in china [Glass pull in China history of glass bridge in China]. Cool Thoughts (in Hindi). Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  3. Civil Student. "Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge". PDF. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  4. "World's longest, highest glass bridge to open". Xinhuanet. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  5. 王建芬. "World's longest glass bridge ready to open - Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  6. Chris Graham (3 September 2016). "China's record-breaking glass bridge closes after 13 days 'due to overwhelming demand'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  7. Nick Mafi. "Why Did the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge Suddenly Close?". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  8. "World's highest glass bridge to reopen after one-month overhaul". Xinhuanet. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
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