World’s Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge Opens in Portugal
by Livia Gershon/Smithsonianmag.com
At nearly a third of a mile long, a newly opened, record-breaking suspension bridge in the town of Arouca, Portugal, demands a bit of a head for heights. As Reuters’ Catarina Demony reports, the bridge, which hangs 570 feet above the Paiva River, consists of a see-through metal grid that wobbles with each step.
“I was a little afraid, but it was so worth it,” Hugo Xavier, a local resident who was allowed to cross the bridge last week ahead of its official opening, tells Reuters. “It was extraordinary, a unique experience, an adrenaline rush.”
Dubbed the “516 Arouca” for its length in meters, the bridge cost $2.8 million and took about two years to complete. Local officials hope it will entice visitors to the region, attracting new investment and encouraging individuals to settle down in the area.
The 516 Arouca is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, overtaking Switzerland’s 1,621-foot Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge by about 70 feet, reports Rachel Treisman for NPR. The longest comparable bridge in the United States is Tennessee’s Gatlinburg Sky Bridge, which stretches a comparatively modest 680 feet across a valley in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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I’m glad I read the article below the video, because after watching it, I was prepared t write that the new bridge must require a toll which no one is prepared to pay.
Granted, I would pee in my pants too but isn’t that to be expected? The wind blows and it either sways like a hammock or you have to add a lot more building material so that it doesn’t. The reason the Romans came up with building arches was to save bricks.
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