The Glass Bridge Construction of the Skywalk began March of 2004 and is estimated to be completed by 4th quarter of 2006.The Glass Bridge will be suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River on the very edge of the Grand Canyon . On May 2005, the final test was conducted and the structure passed engineering requirements by 400 percent, enabling it to withstand the weight of 71 fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes (more that 71 million pounds).
The bridge will be able to sustain winds in excess of 100 miles per hour from 8 different directions, as well as an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles. More than one million pounds of steel will go into the construction of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
This helps give the project a little perspective.
"The bridge will be able to sustain... an 8.0 magnitude earthquake..."
ReplyDeleteIt sounds well-engineered, Arthur, and it's probably not sitting on a fault or unstable ground either. Down the road, designing a safe scaffold for painters might be fun, too.