This was published 7 years ago
Thousands queue in China as cracked glass walkway reopens after repairs
Visitors walk across a glass-floor suspension bridge in Zhangjiajie in southern China's Hunan Province.Credit: AP
People in China queued overnight to be one of the first to cross the world's highest and longest glass bridge.
The 430-metre long, 6-metre wide glass-bottomed walkway hangs 300 metres above a canyon in the Tianmenshan National Forest Park in Hunan province, central China.
By June 2017, visitors will also be able to hang from the overpass on three massive swings or bungee jump off the side, Zhangjiajie Canyon Tourism Management Company vice general manager Joe Chen told the design blog Inhabitat.
The bridge, which opened to the public on a trial basis on Saturday, spans 430 meters and rises about 300 meters above a valley.Credit: AP
Composed of 99 panes of three-layer transparent glass, the bridge has set 10 world records for design and construction, the management committee told the state-run China Daily.
Zhangjiajie's pillar-like mountain formation featured in the Hollywood blockbuster movie Avatar, the report said.
A maximum 8000 visitors are allowed to cross every day. Reservations must be made a day in advance.
The bridge, which opened to the public on a trial basis on Saturday, spans 430 meters (1,410 feet) and rises about 300 meters (984 feet) above a valley in a scenic zone, making it the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge according to Chinese state media. Credit: AP
The canyon scenic area received more than 1.2 million visitors in 2015.
In an attempt to reassure the public of the bridge's safety, officials sent in sledgehammers and drove a car full of passengers across the bridge earlier this year.
A glass pane on a new transparent walkway shattered near Yuntai Mountain, Henan Province, in October last year.
Visitors walk across a glass-floor suspension bridge in Zhangjiajie in southern China's Hunan Province.Credit: AP
A visitor posted pictures of cracked glass on Chinese social media.
Authorities confirmed the incident and closed the tourist attraction for repairs.
A spokesman told People's Daily that the cracks occurred after a tourist dropped a stainless-steel mug on the over-400-metre-long walkway.
Only one of three layers of glass was broken, meaning the tourists were not in danger, he said.
DPA
See also: China petrifies visitors with terrifying new glass skywalk
See also: World's scariest hotel - transparent rooms hang from side of cliff face
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