Would you walk across this bridge?

[left-of-center2012]

The 1,693-foot overpass hangs 570 feet above a roaring river and wobbles as people walk across it.

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.

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.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-longest-pedestrian-suspension-bridge-opens-portugal-180977641/

[True Dough]

1. Only on a day

when the winds were gusting to 80 MPH or more!

[dixiechiken1]

2. N. O.

I'd freeze. They'd have to carry me.

[NoMoreRepugs]

3. Not for the faint of heart.

[MerryHolidays]

4. After seeing the first picture, NO WAY

The next two pictures show how well-supported (hopefully) the bridge is, so I would say yes, but only to a one-way trip.

In other words, they need to have a nice restaurant and/or the tourist bus on the other side!

[left-of-center2012]

5. No netting to keep people from jumping off in a suicide?

[Haggard Celine]

6. Reminds me of the bridge across

Royal Gorge in Colorado. My family and I rode across that bridge in our car while we were on vacation about 35 years ago. It was a wider bridge than that one, of course, but we could feel the bridge sagging as we rode across. That was pretty scary! It wouldn't have bothered me nearly as much if we'd walked across it.

[Midnightwalk]

7. Wow that would be great

I’d be scared but I’d have to do it. The first 50 feet that are above ground are probably the worst. Maybe a few moments somewhere in the middle when it started swaying. 100 feet vs 600 feet probably wouldn’t bother me so much. Falling would uhh hurt.

Looks like fun.

[csziggy]

25. Falling is not the part that hurts - it's the landing

And no, I would not walk across that bridge. Just looking at the third photo gives me vertigo.

[hlthe2b]

8. It is pretty enclosed, so yeah I would. I've seen suspension bridges in Asia far far worse

in terms of providing any "safety"... basically nothing (or very little) to prevent you from stepping/falling off the sides. Those I would NOT do unless left with no choice.

[left-of-center2012]

10. "It is pretty enclosed"

Seriously ?

[hlthe2b]

11. Compared to those with no real railings, much less fencing, yeah.

You would not believe the suspension bridges villagers travel daily in parts of Asia.

[left-of-center2012]

12. Or the Andes, the Himalayas, etc

But this bridge is not 'pretty enclosed'.

[hlthe2b]

15. Comparatively, it certainly is.

[left-of-center2012]

16. Okie dokie

whatever

[hlthe2b]

17. This is Royal Gorge--the highest suspension bridge in the US (Southern CO)

I walk it whenever I get to the area. It would be a good "warm-up" to the one you are discussing

No other bridge in history has been more associated with being the “World’s Highest” than the Royal Gorge bridge, located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Constructed in 1929, the bridge was the highest suspension bridge in the world for nearly 75 years with a roadway 955 feet (291 mtrs) above the Arkansas river. In 2001,China opened an even higher gorge crossing in the form of the Liuguanghe bridge, a concrete beam span with a deck 975 feet (297 mtrs) high. Then in 2003, China opened the 1,200 foot high (366 mtr) Beipanjiang River 2003 bridge, the first of what will eventually be at least a dozen Chinese suspension bridges of greater height.

While the Royal Gorge bridge no longer holds any world records, this Rocky Mountain wonder of wire and wood is still the highest bridge in the United States and one of the most popular destinations in the state of Colorado with more than 500,000 visitors a year. Since its construction, the Royal Gorge has become much more than a bridge but an entire park that includes more than a dozen attractions that can keep you busy for an entire day.

[underpants]

9. Given the level of construction Yes

Last edited Wed May 5, 2021, 12:16 PM - Edit history (1)

But once I got there might be a different story

[left-of-center2012]

13. "Gibes movement the level of construction"

Huh ?

[underpants]

23. Given

What the hell kind of autocorrect was that?

[rhiannon55]

14. Only if the love of my life who died almost ten years ago

was waiting on the other side, alive again.

Actually, I would run across.

[Bayard]

22. What a sweet sentiment!

[nocoincidences]

18. Oh Hell NO!

I would have to crawl to get across and my knees would be torn to shreds!!

[samnsara]

19. OMG Ive vacationed in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for years and i never knew of their sky...

..bridge and thank GOD neither did my husband! and HELL NO would I cross it. I wouldnt even approach it to check it out.



PS.....for anyone wanting a value vacation..check out this area. The cabins you can rent in the smokey mtns are gorgeous and VERY affordable.

[asiliveandbreathe]

20. OMG..I won't even drive the ramp stacks in Cali..driving "down" from Heber AZ..RT 260..

along the Mogollon Rim - brings me to tears...truly a flat lander from Mass...I have even pulled over to the side of the road, on trips to Vegas - I can't see around those curves..I17 South to Phoenix from Flagstaff, fuggetaboutit!!..AZ..of course hubby laughs..then I remind him, who has a clean driving record...

[malthaussen]

21. If the need were sufficient.

Not something I'd likely do for entertainment.

-- Mal

[Bayard]

24. Absolutely!

Only one life to live, and all that.

[TexasBushwhacker]

26. Nope

I would freeze up and have to be rescued.

[left-of-center2012]

28. That would be me too

I would get about 10 ft out and then curl up into a fetal position.

[smirkymonkey]

27. Absolutely not!

I can barely even look at the photos without my head spinning. I have a morbid fear of heights.

[Wounded Bear]

29. How do you get back? I doubt I could handle that twice...