Crossing over a deep ravine can be terrifying enough if you’re afraid of heights. But a new bridge across China’s Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon will take that thrill to another level with a glass walkway — 980 feet above the canyon floor.
The architectural marvel, which is expected to open later this summer, has garnered so much international attention that the local Chinese government decided to complete a an extensive series of inspections to verify its safety.
On June 25, volunteers will try to smash the panels with giant hammers, then jump on the cracked panels to demonstrate how hard the glass is to break. Then park officials will drive a car across.
The BBC got an early chance to put the bridge to the test on June 11, when Click's Dan Simmons was invited to take a hammer to the glass himself. Watch the video:
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When the bridge finally opens, however, the construction project still won't be completely finished. By June 2017, brave visitors will also be able dangle from the overpass on three massive swings or bungee jump off of the side.
Joe Chen, Deputy General Manager of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Tourism Management Co., tells Tech Insider that technical details about the swings aren’t available yet, but Inhabitat reports that the biggest could be nearly 500 feet in length. That would make it the longest swing in Asia.
The project will achieve numerous other records when it opens: It will be the world’s highest and longest glass bridge, spanning roughly 1,245 feet. The bungee jump will also be the world’s highest, according to Haim Dotan Architects, who designed the bridge.
Up to 800 people will be able to walk on the transparent glass paneling at a time, and the bridge is also expected to serve as a runway for fashion shows.
This isn’t China’s first glass bridge, however — two others opened in 2015. The Brave Man’s Bridge, in the Hunan province’s Shiniuzhai National Geologic Park, is the longest glass-bottom suspension bridge, and sits 590 feet above the ground. And a glass walkway built into the side of Yuntai Mountain in the Henan province is 3,500 feet high in certain spots.
But in October 2015, the Yuntai walkway was temporarily closed after several cracks (that were not created intentionally) were found in one layer of the glass.
Officials hope to avoid a similar situation with the Zhangjiajie bridge, which is why it is now being subjected to such thorough safety investigations and demonstrations.
For those of us whose heart-rate increases at the very thought of crossing a bridge like this, a short wait seems worth it to ensure the glass is strong and stable.
