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Thread: Chinese Bridges

  1. #16
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    This is why I'd be leery of one of those glass bridges...

    ...they can't even keep the regular bridges up.

    Another Bridge Collapses in Eastern China Killing 3
    Another in a long line of collapses






    Despite huge investments in China’s infrastructure, another bridge has collapsed in Xiushui, Jiangxi, killing three people.

    Two vehicles careened off the edge of bridge on Sunday at around 8:30 pm, falling to the river below. Three people inside a minivan were killed, and another two motorcyclists were injured and taken to hospital.

    China has invested a lot of money in its transportation infrastructure in recent years, but old bridges requiring repair and maintenance are being neglected.

    A 2013 investigation showed that 41 of Dongguan’s 172 bridges required major repair work, while another 16 were in such poor shape that they should be demolished and rebuilt. It is unknown whether this report spurred any action.

    Bridges collapsing in China have caused dozens of fatalities over the past few years.

    Last year June, one person was killed and another four were injured when a 130 meter-long section of an off-ramp collapsed eight meters under the weight of four fully-loaded transport trucks near Heyuan, Guangdong (shown below).offramp collapse guangdong jiangxi highwayIn 2014, another 11 people were killed in a Labor Day collapse that occurred on a bridge illegally under construction in Liangkengkou, Guangdong.

    In 2013, 12 people died when two passenger buses plunged into the Tongkou River in Jiangyou, Sichuan during a bridge collapse. Also in 2013, 11 people died in Fengdu, Chongqing when a bridge over the Yangtze River collapsed.

    Despite costing $300 million and only being ten months old, a raised highway in Heilongjiang collapsed in August 2012, killing three and injuring five. And in August 2007, 29 people died in in Hunan when a bridge over the Tuojiang River collapsed while still under construction.

    Notwithstanding these tragedies, bridges continue to be prominently touted as part of China’s economic revitalization.

    This month, a pedestrian bridge completely made out of transparent glass was opened at a tourist spot in Zhangjiajie, spanning 300 meters above a gorge. Meanwhile, at a cost of 87 million Hong Kong dollars, the HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is expected to become the world’s longest sea bridge when it opens in late 2017.

    Source: Shanghai Daily, Shanghai Daily, China Daily, China Daily, China, Xinhua, Xinhua, JS China, Yahoo News, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Mail, China, China Daily, People's Daily Online, The Telegraph, Yahoo News, Yahoo News, Sina
    Photos: JS China,
    Tags: Bridge Collapse, bridges, Infrastructure, Jiangxi, Transportation
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  2. #17
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    Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon closes

    Well, that's reassuring.....


    NOT!



    China glass bridge closes for upgrade works
    Friday September 2, 2016
    10:31 PM GMT+8


    Officials closed the bridge today, angering tourists who had journeyed to the canyon or already bought tickets to make the hair-raising crossing. — Picture courtesy of Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Tourism Management

    BEIJING, Sept 2 — Less than two weeks after opening to the public to much global fanfare, the world's highest and longest, glass-bottom bridge in China has closed.

    Stretching 430 meters over the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and 300 meters above the valley floor, the glass-bottomed bridge opened August 20 to thousands of waiting visitors, eager to become the first to test out the feat of structural engineering.

    But with little notice, officials closed the bridge today, angering tourists who had journeyed to the canyon or already bought tickets to make the hair-raising crossing.

    Park officials were quick to allay any safety concerns and said the temporary closure is necessary for upgrading and improving guest services after being overwhelmed with demand, reports Xinhua news.

    While the guest capacity is limited to 8,000 visitors a day, more than 10,000 people have been swarming the site for their chance to see the bridge.

    Park officials also posted a message to Chinese social networking site Weibo apologising for the inconvenience and explaining that the closure is necessary to improve the facility.

    During the temporary closure, officials are expected to make improvement to parking, ticketing and customer service. — AFP-Relaxnews
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  3. #18
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    A two-fer today

    Here's the positive (yang):
    China: 'world's highest bridge' nears completion in Guizhou
    The Beipanjiang Bridge, in mountainous southwestern China, soars 565m (1,854ft) above a river.

    China: ‘World’s highest bridge’ approaching completion – video report
    Staff and agencies

    Monday 12 September 2016 01.03 EDT Last modified on Monday 12 September 2016 03.17 EDT

    Chinese engineers have completed the basic structure of what is expected to become the world’s highest bridge.

    The Beipanjiang bridge, in mountainous southwestern China, soars 565 metres (1,854 feet) above a river, the Guizhou provincial transport department said in a statement.

    As such it overtakes the Si Du River Bridge in the central province of Hubei to become the world’s highest bridge, said the statement posted on Sunday.

    The two ends of the bridge were linked on Saturday, it added.

    The 1,341-metre span is expected to open to traffic at the end of this year and will cut road trips from Liupanshui in Guizhou to Xuanwei in neighbouring Yunnan province from around five hours to less than two, state broadcaster China Central Television reported on Monday.


    An aerial view shows workers completing the bridge that connects two provinces in Bijie. Photograph: China Stringer Network/Reuters

    Several of the world’s highest bridges are in China, although the world’s tallest bridge – measured in terms of the height of its own structure, rather than the distance to the ground – remains France’s Millau viaduct at 343m tall.

    The announcement comes a week after authorities closed the world’s longest glass-bottomed bridge, also in China, after deciding it needed urgent maintenance.

    The bridge was opened to great fanfare 13 days earlier.

    Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
    And here's the negative (yin):
    Three missing, five injured in east China bridge collapse
    Source: Xinhua | 2016-09-11 23:50:52 | Editor: huaxia



    The collapsed bridge is seen in Taihe County, east China's Jiangxi Province, Sept. 11, 2016. A bridge in Taihe collapsed Sunday while it was being dismantled, injuring five and leaving three missing. (Xinhua/Hu Chenhuan)

    NANCHANG, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Three workers went missing and five were injured when a bridge in east China's Jiangxi Province collapsed on Sunday while it was being dismantled.

    The collapse happened around 9:17 a.m. in Taihe County of Jiangxi over the Ganjiang River.

    Three of eight workers fell into the river and remain unaccounted for, according to the local government.

    "I was driving an excavator when the floor of the bridge suddenly collapsed. I lost consciousness after the fall," said Hu Qihua, one of the five injured workers.

    Two of the injured workers, Shan Yongkun, 27 and Huang Yong, 32, have suffered multiple bone fractures and remain in critical condition.

    More than 400 police and rescuers are looking for the three missing workers.

    The 828-meter-long bridge was completed in the early 1990s. An inspection in December 2012 suggested it should be repaired. Workers had been dismantling the bridge structures since August this year.

    The cause of the incident is under investigation.
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  4. #19
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    I'm sure it's safe now...


    China’s glass-bottomed bridge to reopen after upgrades
    BY REHANA AKTER ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 CHINA, INTERNATIONAL, TRAVEL NEWS

    China is set to reopen its glass bridge in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province. The authority was forced to close the glass-bottomed bridge after just two weeks of opening due to overwhelming number of visitors.

    Stretching 430m over Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, the longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge in the world drew huge attention from a vast number of visitors. After its opening in August this year, almost 8,000 people visited it per day, which was 10 times its load capacity. Unable to handle the load, the authority closed the bridge on September 2, leaving many to speculate about the safety of the bridge.

    However, a News.com report quoted a Chinese official saying that there is no problem with the structure. Chinese newspaper The People’s Daily also reported the same and wrote that the officials were ready to reopen the bridge.


    Photo Credit: Fox News

    The bridge management committee’s spokesman, Luo Kewen, said that they shut down the bridge in order to upgrade its facilities so that it could handle the vast number of visitors. Another reason behind the closure was to prepare the bridge for welcoming the visitors attending an international sales conference and an international tourism festival in Zhangjiajie.

    The bridge went through a couple of hardware upgrades including expanding the car parking and developing other support facilities. The online booking system for visiting the bridge also underwent upgradation, allowing visitors to purchase tickets for a particular date.

    Mr Kewen said that with influx of visitors flooding the place on a regular basis, it was impossible to do all those upgrades without shutting down the bridge.

    The bridge was supposed to reopen on September 28 and tickets went on sale from 10am on Tuesday, September 27.


    Photo Credit: CNN

    The 430-metre long bridge is 6-metre wide and has 99 panes of triple-layer transparent glasses. It hangs between two steep cliffs at 300 meters above the ground, offering breathtaking views of the canyon floor below.

    Despite speculations about its safety issues, no accident has yet happened in the bridge.
    I'll give a free subscription* to the first forum member who gets a photo of themselves on this bridge with a got qi? T-shirt.

    *gotta be domestic however - my fulfillment would kill me if I started giving away international subscriptions.
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  5. #20
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    Zhengzhou bridge

    There's a pun to be made about glass bridges and wine vessel bridges somewhere here.

    Zhengzhou spends 100 million yuan building this bridge featuring a giant ancient wine vessel



    China is a land of bridges. Long ones, high ones, glass ones, swinging ones and now ones like this:




    That's a brand-new bridge being built in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province in central China. The bridge's design is historically inspired. Based on a special kind of wine vessel that dates back to the ancient Shang (1600-1046 BC) and Zhou (1046-771 BC) dynasties called the jiǎ (斝).



    This particular challis is 104 meters tall.



    The 210-meter-long bridge cost over 100 million yuan ($15 million) to build. It's not clear how much of that was spent on the wine cup.



    Either way, we say money well spent, Zhengzhou!
    [Images via NetEase]
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  6. #21
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    Beipanjiang Bridge

    Wow. That's a serious bridge.

    Beipanjiang Bridge, the world's tallest, opens to traffic in rural China


    The four-lane road span of the Beipanjiang Bridge soars more than half a kilometre over the river below CREDIT: XINHUA/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

    Ed Wiseman
    29 DECEMBER 2016 • 4:31PM

    The world’s highest bridge has opened to traffic in a remote, mountainous part of China, adding to the country’s impressive roster of megastructures.

    The Beipanjiang Bridge links the province of Guizhou and Yunnan and is expected to reduce road travel times from Liupanshui to Xuianwei from five hours to two. Its 1,341-metre span of four-lane road deck soars 564 metres over the Beipan River, making it the highest – if not the tallest – in the world.


    A vehicle crosses the Beipanjiang Bridge, possibly unaware that there's half a kilometre of air between the road span and the river below. CREDIT: XINHUA/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

    China is also home to the second and third highest bridges - the Sidu River Bridge and the Puli Bridge, respectively - as well as other modern wonders such as the Three Gorges Dam (and its ship lift, the world’s largest) and growing high speed rail network.


    The bridge is in a remote, mountainous part of China, a few miles downriver of the enormous Guangzhao Dam. CREDIT: XINHUA/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

    The Guangzhao Dam is a concrete gravity dam a few miles north of the Beipanjiang Bridge, designed to generate electricity using hydroelectric power generation.

    The Beipanjiang is the highest rather than the tallest bridge. The tallest bridge - the bridge with the tallest structure, regardless of distance from the valley floor - remains the Millau Viaduct, a joint British-French venture on the A75 Autoroute. The road deck here is held a mere 270 metres – less than half the height of the Beipanjiang Bridge.


    This diagram shows the difference between 'highest' and 'tallest' CREDIT: KEOW WEE LOONG / BARCROFT IMAGES

    The Beipan river, over which the Beipanjiang Bridge carries traffic, is part of the great Pearl River basin. Because of its geography, the bridges that cross it tend to be remarkably high.
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  7. #22
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    The Lucky Knot bridge in Changsha, China

    Wow. Now that's a cool bridge.

    China's new topsy-turvy bridge actually has three bridges woven into one
    Leanna Garfield
    Jan. 12, 2017, 11:13 AM


    A rendering of the Lucky Knot bridge in Changsha, China. Next Architects

    A bridge doesn't need to include the standard, gray concrete beams, cables, and deck. They can twist and turn and pop with color.

    That's the philosophy behind the Lucky Knot bridge in Changsha, China, which was designed by Next Architects.

    Spotted by Designboom, the whimsical pedestrian bridge actually has three bridges woven into one structure. Next Architects was awarded the project after their design proposal won an international competition in 2013, Michel Schreimachers, a partner at the firm, tells Business Insider. The steel bridge in Changsha's newly redeveloped city center was completed in late 2016.

    Check it out below.

    The Lucky Knot stretches over a highway and the Dragon King Harbor River, sitting 78 feet above the river so boats can travel beneath it.

    Next Architects

    The 600-foot bridge is actually three separate bridges intertwined into one. Pedestrians can access it from eight street entrances.

    Next Architects

    The three walkways overlap at five points, which Schreimachers calls "moon gates."

    Next Architects

    The bridge's design mimics that of roller coaster tracks. Rather than just connecting the two sides, Schreimachers says, it also functions as a pedestrian playground.

    Next Architects

    The design team was inspired by the Chinese knot, which is how the bridge got its name.

    Next Architects

    In ancient Chinese folk art, the knot stands for luck and prosperity, Schreimachers says. The color red also symbolizes good fortune and joy.

    Next Architects

    Next Architects is known for creating unconventional bridges. The firm also built one in a Netherlands floodplain last year that can be submerged in water.

    Next Architects

    Source: Wired and Next Architects

    Like Next's other designs, the Lucky Knot is anything but ordinary.

    Next Architects
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  8. #23
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    Over-budget again

    Some build bridges. Some build walls. Both go over-budget, no matter what the developers say.

    HK$117.7bn Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge may run over-budget again, says Transport Sec.
    10 February 2017 11:16 Elson Tong 2 min read

    The Hong Kong government said on Thursday that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project, plagued by repeated overspending, may run over-budget once again.

    Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said that the bridge’s main section may incur greater expenses than originally estimated, but did not have a precise figure. The main section is jointly funded by the governments of Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland.


    Transport and housing secretary at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. Photo: GovHK.

    Originally, the main section was estimated to cost an initial RMB 15.73 billion (HK$17.75 bilion).

    Hong Kong would contribute RMB 6.75 billion (HK$7.62 billion), around 43 per cent of the total whilst Macau and mainland China would contribute RMB 1.98 billion (HK$2.23 billion) and RMB 7 billion (HK$7.9 billion) respectively.

    “[I] believe if there really are to be additional expenses, each of the three sides will maybe have to contribute funds according to that ratio,” said Cheung.

    Construction review

    He added that each of the three sides have already hired expert consultants in order to review construction progress and information provided by contractors on the bridge’s main section. “So later we will have a more reliable estimate, and we will explain this to society.”


    File photo: HKFP/Tom Grundy.

    Apart from the initial RMB 15.73 billion, the three sides have also obtained RMB 22 billion (HK$24.82 billion) in loans to construct the main section, to be jointly repaid after 35 years.

    Cheung said that the three sides would arrive at a decision later as to whether they would have to obtain additional loans.

    He added that the management of the project expected the main section to be completed by the end of this year.


    Construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. File Photo: GovHK

    Hong Kong section within budget

    Cheung said on Thursday that the Hong Kong section of the bridge project would not incur more expenses than currently budgeted. This is because the original budget has already been amended.

    In 2011, the Legislative Council passed a motion authorising the government to spend HK$48.5 billion on the Hong Kong section, which consists of border checkpoints, connections to the main bridge and highways.

    However, it has been plagued by repeated delays and overspending. Hong Kong is now reported to have spent a total of up to HK$117.7 billion on the bridge project.
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  9. #24
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    Slightly OT

    Not quite a bridge, but who is really paying attention to that here?

    LOOK: Bikini models strut their stuff on glass skywalk, 1,000 meters above the ground
    BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON MAY 10, 2017 4:00 PM



    Due to China's fiercely competitive glass-bottomed bridge scene, a see-through skywalk built alongside a scenic cliff above a 1,000-meter drop is no longer enough to draw in the tourists, you're also going to need some girls in bikinis.
    Over the weekend, a group of bikini models posed for pics on a glass skywalk alongside Baiyuan Mountain outside of Luoyang, Henan province. The photoshoot was apparently part of a local "tourism ambassador contest."











    Fortunately, none of the women seem to suffer from acrophobia.

    [Images via Sina]
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  10. #25
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    Come on. It's free!

    This seems ill-advised...

    LOOK: 10,000 tourists cram onto glass bridge after scenic spot opens it for free
    BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON JUN 13, 2017 8:20 PM



    A scenic spot in central Henan province offered tourists a free walk across their terrifying glass-bottomed bridge over the weekend. It's not clear if the place knew what it was in for. Because if there's one thing that Chinese tourists love more than glass bridges; it's free stuff.



    On Sunday, 10,000 visitors flocked to the 216-meter-long bridge located in a mountainous area outside of Pingdingshan city, People's Daily reports.
    While in the past officials have been forced to reassure visitors of the solidity of their glass skywalks, using sledgehammers and SUVs, these brave souls were apparently completely confident in the bridge's integrity, frantically trying to squeeze in for a view of the 96-meter-drop to the ground below.



    Tourist sites across China have been attempting to cash in on the country's glass bridge craze for the last couple of years. Last August, the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge opened in Zhangjiajie, only to be shut down less than two weeks later after too many people wanted to walk on it.
    [Images via dfic.cn]
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  11. #26
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    Slightly OT

    This is a skywalk, not quite a bridge, but with all the glass bridges in this thread, I figure it needs to be posted here.

    Cracks appear in glass skywalk above Pacific Ocean in Taiwan
    A man was seen hitting the glass with a rock: reports
    By Matthew Strong,Taiwan News, Staff Writer
    2017/07/12 14:48


    Cracks appeared in the Fengbin Skywalk Wednesday.

    TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Less than two weeks after its inauguration, cracks in the glass skywalk above the Pacific Ocean in the Hualien County township of Fengbin (豐濱) forced a shutdown Wednesday.

    The first visitors were allowed to walk across and watch waves crashing into the cliffs 50 meters below on July 1.

    Around Wednesday noon, reports emerged that one plate of tempered glass covering half the width of the path had cracked.

    The local government immediately shut down the whole 150-meter-long path, of which a 20-meter-long stretch consists of steel beams and glass, and sent a crew to replace the broken segment. Their work was completed by Wednesday afternoon, allowing the authorities to announce that the skywalk would be open for business again on Thursday morning. Surveillance cameras would be installed, reports said.

    Officials reportedly said a man had been seen hitting the glass with a rock but had run off when tourists approached. Since it had been unable to identify and locate the culprit, the local government was not planning to file a lawsuit for the time being, reports said.

    Construction of the skywalk (親不知子天空步道) lasted three years and followed a track dating back to the Japanese colonial era. The entrance of the path is located next to the southern entrance of the Xinfeng Tunnel (新豐隧道) at kilometer mark 41.5 on the Hualien-Taitung Coastal Highway.
    It's always some nut job with a rock...
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  12. #27
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    Shandong wobbly bridge

    Would YOU dare? Terrified boyfriend is dragged by his girlfriend across a glass-bottomed bridge that WOBBLES at 360 feet high
    Couple were crossing a new see-through bridge in Shandong, eastern China
    The man struggle to stand on the glass panel as his girlfriend held his hand
    When there are many people on it, the walkway could sway from side to side
    Designers of the structure were inspired by the Millennium Bridge in London
    By Tracy You For Mailonline
    PUBLISHED: 08:52 EDT, 16 August 2017 | UPDATED: 09:16 EDT, 16 August 2017

    To cross a glass-bottomed bridge hundreds of feet above the ground could be a frightening experience - more so if it sways.

    A man who was trying to make his way through one such footbridge in China got so scared he had to be helped by his girlfriend.

    The woman held her boyfriend's hand and comforted him as they stood on the walkway packed with tourists 110 metres (360 feet) above the ground.

    A man was so scared of crossing a see-through walkway he had to be helped by his girlfriend. The glass-bottomed bridge, in China, is situated 110 metres (360 feet) above the ground


    Opened to the public in June, the transparent footpath cost £5.8 million to build

    The couple were visiting the newly opened glass-bottomed bridge in eastern China's Shandong Province.

    Footage shared by China's social media platform Pear Video shows the man's struggle on the swaying structure as he saw the nerve-wrecking drop right beneath his feet.

    The brave woman told her petrified boyfriend: 'Let's go. It'll be fine. Let's just try to walk and see.' However, the man appeared reluctant as he held firmly onto the handrail.

    Passersby laughed at the man as they walked past them, but one onlooker encouraged the man: 'It's going to be okay. Don't despair. Just keep walking.'

    Situated on the Tan Xi Mountain near the city of Zibo, the walkway could sway from side to side slightly when there are many visitors on it or when there is wind blowing, according to the management company of Tan Xi Mountain.


    A spokesperson said the bridge could sway from side to side due to its unique design


    It's claimed that the bridge wobbles when there are many people on it or when there is wind


    The bridge's glass floor panels and movement have not deterred Chinese tourists as adults and children are seen enjoying themselves and jumping on the terrifying structure

    A spokesperson of the company, Mr Chen, explained to MailOnline: 'This is due to the bridge's unique design. Our designers were inspired by the famous Millennium Bridge in London.'

    Millennium Bridge, a £18.2 million structure situated on the Thames in the British capital, wobbled under the weight of thousands of pedestrians when it first opened in June 2000.

    A £5 million repair programme had to be carried out in May 2001 to reduce the bridge's movement to acceptable levels.


    Tourists take a glass lift to the top of the cliff before stepping onto the popular bridge. The transparent footpath, which cost £5.8 million to build, connects two sides of the cliff face


    Designers of the glass-bottomed bridge in Shandong, China, were said to be inspired by the Millennium Bridge on the Thames in London, which also sways from side to side

    The management company claimed that their 'wobbly' glass-bottomed bridge was 'perfectly safe to use'.

    The bridge is said to be able to carry up to 500 people at the same time and a high-tech alarm system would send out an alert if it detects potential danger.

    'In theory, our bridge could bear a maximum weight of 900 tonnes,' said Mr Chen, the spokesperson.

    Opened to the public in June, the transparent footpath cost 50 million yuan (£5.8 million) to build.

    The structure measures 117 metres (383 feet) long and 2.45 metres (eight feet) wide, and is connected to the ground via two observation lifts.
    "their 'wobbly' glass-bottomed bridge was 'perfectly safe to use'" - how reassuring.
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  13. #28
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    Wonder where this is...

    The bold - and the big baby! Hilarious video shows fearless woman charging across vertigo-inducing bridge, before being followed by screaming, shaking man who has to CRAWL over it
    Visitors to China bridge are filmed screaming and shaking as they cross
    The red steel bridge looks like a ladder and has no railings or safety net
    A woman and man crossing the bridge have two hilariously different reactions

    By Marlene Lenthang For Dailymail.com
    PUBLISHED: 17:28 EDT, 18 August 2017 | UPDATED: 07:32 EDT, 19 August 2017

    A bridge crossing in China gives adrenaline-junkies a run for their money with the serious vertigo-inducing challenge.

    The red painted steel bridge has no railing, glass or safety net to protect from falling in between the rungs. Aside from a zip line, the only thing that lies between crossers and the bridge is frightening altitude.

    In a video two bold adventurers decided to cross and have hilariously different reactions to nearly walking on air.


    Dare devil! A young girl crossed this bridge hundreds of feet in the air in China that has no railings, glass, or safety net in seconds, championing the terrifying, vertigo-defying challenge


    Don't look down! This woman can't help it because in between the rungs of this rickety ladder, there is nothing but pure altitude. Tracking each step carefully, she made it across safely

    A young woman faced the challenge first. Fastly attached to a zipline, she crossed the ladder bridge that connected two mountain ledges with confidence.

    The young girl stepped boldly onto the bridge and crossed like she would any other bridge. She showed no sign of fear and her knees never gave in to the fright of the height. She stood up the entire way, her eyes glued to the ladder to track each next step.

    But her confident stride didn't last so long. Vertigo eventually hit the girl who paused for a moment near the end of the track. She swayed slightly and stared into the massive depth of the canyons below her.

    A breath later she collected herself and made it safely across, all within a matter of seconds.

    Another bridge crosser, however, did not have such luck in keeping his head held high, or up at all for that matter.

    The young man who followed the girl hilariously succumbed to fear and a case of the shakes right after his first step, and it was all caught on camera.


    Scaredy cat: A man followed the woman's courageous crossing, but he could not measure up and began to scream wildly and shake uncontrollably after his first step on the bridge


    Holding on for dear life: The man decided to crawl his way down after his knees betrayed him

    After just one step the man began to yelp and shake uncontrollably in fear. He continued on, screaming 'This is too tall! F***! I'm so scared!' with every single step.

    By the third rung he abandoned efforts to walk upright and sunk to his knees and decided to crawl across.

    Commentors on the video dubbed it a 'Gollum' walk as the man crawled across rung by rung.

    At one point he gained an ounce of confidence and began to rise, but realized he acted too soon and went right back down. The man hilariously never stopped screaming and swearing and at the end sped up his crawl to Spiderman speed to get the challenge over with.
    I'd crawl too. I'm not proud.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
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    Cracks - intentional cracks

    'takes the biscuit' - couldn't have said it better myself, mate.

    The glass-bottomed walkway in China that cracks under your feet


    Walkers on a glass bridge at Shiniuzhai National Geological Park - one of many glass walkways in China CREDIT: GETTY

    Soo Kim, travel writer
    11 OCTOBER 2017 • 11:55AM

    China has developed something of an obsession with terrifying glass-bottomed walkways. But its newest see-through bridge really takes the biscuit.

    A tour guide braving the East Taiheng Glasswalk in Hubei province had the shock of his life when the glass panels beneath his fee began to crack. It was all captured in a video posted by China’s People Daily.


    He need not have panicked. The cracking effect is actually a special feature designed to frighten visitors. Sensors that detect passing pedestrians, triggering the visual and sound effects.

    If it’s of any comfort, the feature has been installed towards the end of the bridge, which is around two metres (6.5 feet) wide and 266 metres (872 feet) long.

    The East Taiheng Glasswalk joins a string of other vertigo-inducing attractions in China, such as the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, the world’s longest and highest glass bridge, suspended 260 metres (853 feet) above the ground in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park of Hunan province.


    China's Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge - the world’s longest and highest glass bridge CREDIT: GETTY

    Last year, the country unveiled plans to build an “invisible” footbridge in the same region, made with mirrored stainless steel and reflective black stone, suspended 300 metres above the ground between two mountains in the Zhangjiajie Canyon.


    A rendering of the “invisible” footbridge to be built over the Zhangjiajie Canyon in China

    Other dizzying bridges in the country include a 69 metre (226 feet) glass walkway in the mountains of Shaanxi province, which was unveiled this July. In the same week, a walkway outside the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower opened in Shanghai. Set 340 metres (1,115 feet) above the ground, visitors must attach themselves to the building using a safety rope to scale it.

    Back in 2015, one tourist in China was left terrified while crossing the glass-floored Yuntain Mountain Walkway when the glass panel below his feet began to crack – but this time it wasn’t a special effect. The bridge was closed temporarily for repairs after the incident.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  15. #30
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
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    47,946

    Shiyan Ecological Park bridge

    We've discussed these Chinese glass-bottom bridges a lot here. Has anyone here walked on one yet?

    Spectacular aerial footage shows China's new glass-bottomed bridge built to connect two islands at 490 feet high
    China has opened its first cross-island glass bridge at an eco park in Hunan
    Measuring 984 ft long, the bridge provides a panoramic view over Shiyan Lake
    It is unveiled as the latest attraction to Shiyan Ecological Park on September 30
    The bridge can hold a maximum of 1,200 people at one time, claimed experts
    By TIFFANY LO FOR MAILONLINE
    PUBLISHED: 12:33 EDT, 4 October 2017 | UPDATED: 16:04 EDT, 4 October 2017

    China is continuing its passion for glass-bottomed bridges.

    The country has just opened its first cross-island glass bridge to the public in central China's Hunan Province on September 30.

    The multi-glazed glass bridge measures 300 metres long (984 ft) and set 150 metres (492 ft) above water across Shiyan Lake.


    China's first glass bridge that connected two islands with a distance of 300 metres (984 ft)


    It is built with three layers of reinforced glass and held by strong suspensions along the bridge

    Drone footage posted by People's Daily Online captures a breath-taking view of the glass bridge on October 2.

    Visitors can enjoy an all-round view of the lake and the scenic view around.

    The glass-made suspension bridge is the latest attraction of Shiyanhu Ecological Park in Changsha.

    According to Dr Yin Xinping from the design institute of Hunan University, the glass bridge can hold a maximum load of 1,200 people.


    The bridge was open to public on September 30 as the latest attraction of Shiyanhu Eco Park


    The glass bridge was proved to withstand strong wind and strong vibration, claimed experts


    Visitors can enjoy a clear view beneath their feet as they cross over the green waters

    'The material used on the bridge are three layers of reinforced glass. Each layer is separated with plastic. The bridge can allow a six-tonne car to drive through,' explained Dr Yin.

    The bridge can also withstand strong wind and vibration under rounds of safety inspections.

    It's set to be China's first cross-island glass bridge, to provide a magnificent view of Shiyan Lake to visitors.

    Shiyanhu Ecological Park is recorded as a 4-As tourist spot, surrounded by mountains along with Chinese traditions such as pagodas and temples.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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