View from above: World’s longest glass bridge just opened in Hebei, China

The spectacular footpath is 488 meters (1,601 feet) long, breaking the previous record by 58 m (191 feet)

It is the world’s longest glass suspension bridge and features a ‘swaying sensation’, designed to offer those adventurous enough to attempt to cross it with an extra thrilling effect. Located in the Hongyagu Scenic Area in Hebei Province, China, the bridge is paved with 1,077 glass panels, offering spectacular views of the beautiful 218m (755ft)-deep canyon beneath. The walkway is 488 m (1,601 ft) long and 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide, with the previously longest glass bridge worldwide being the one situated in the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in Hunan Province, southern China, measuring 1,410 feet long.

Each of the panels is 1.5 inches thick, and visitors are provided with special "shoe gloves" to protect the glass surface from breaking, as other similar bridges suffered fractured glass panels not long after opening. And although the bridge has a maximum capacity of 2,000 people, for safety reasons the management would only allow 500 tourists to stand on it at any one time. This is to ensure that they will avoid situations as the one last year, when the glass-bottomed bridge in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon was forced to close, just 13 days after opening, due to the thousands of tourists standing on the structure, causing safety concerns. "The bridge's load-carrying capacity is as much as 3.5 times the country's standard for bridges. Besides, we only allow 500 people on it at most," said Liu Qiqi, director in charge of construction. 

The three-year construction project was carried out by the local tourism company Hebei Bailu Group and weighs a total of 70 metric tons, while it is designed to resist a force 12 wind or a magnitude six earthquake.