Across China’s Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, 980 feet above the floor of the deep, tree-lined chasm, stretches a terrifying new glass-bottomed bridge.
The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge opened to the public on August 20th in the Hunan Province, and is now the tallest and longest glass bridge ever built. The walkway is more than 1400 feet long and 6 feet wide, and can accommodate 800 visitors at a time.
Designed by Israeli Architect Haim Dotam, the bridge’s floor is made of 99 panels of multilayered glass, allowing those who dare to cross the chance to see just how far above the ground they stand.
“The Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge was designed to be invisible as possible — a white bridge disappearing into the clouds,” Dotam said in a statement.
According to China’s CCTV, the bridge cost $3.4 million to build. It was originally slated to open earlier this summer, but the date was pushed back to allow for more rigorous safety inspections.
In June, volunteers were invited to try to smash the glass panels with sledgehammers to demonstrate their strength and durability. Officials also drove a car across the bridge during the test ceremony.
The Zhangjiajie Bridge is the latest — and perhaps most impressive — in a series of glass walkways that have been constructed in China over the past couple of years. Earlier this summer, an 88-story glass skywalk debuted on the outside of Shanghai’s Jin Mao Tower, offering similar thrills.
In September 2015, the Brave Man’s Bridge opened in Shiniuzhai National Geologic Park, also in the Hunan province. A glass walkway built into the side of the Henan province’s Yuntai Mountain debuted the same month, reaching a height of 3,500 feet in certain places. But a little over two weeks after it opened, cracks appeared on one layer of a glass panel, prompting the skywalk to close temporarily, according to CBS News. The extra safety tests on the Zhangjiajie Bridge were conducted to avoid a similar problem.
Though the Zhangjiajie Bridge is now open to the public, construction is not entirely finished. By June 2017, courageous tourists will also be able to go bungee jumping off the side, in what will likely be the world’s highest bungee jump. Three enormous swings are also expected to dangle from the bridge, the biggest of which could be 500 feet long.
So if the thrill of crossing the world’s highest glass bridge doesn’t get your heart pumping, just wait until next summer.
SEE ALSO: Watch someone take a sledgehammer to the world's highest and longest glass bridge
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