Standing on America’s greatest landscape is a glass bridge suspended 4,000 above the Colorado River. The grand canyon skywalk is yet another spectacle within the world’s seven wonders.
Architect David Jin came up with the idea of a glass bridge in 1996 during his visit to the canyon. Jin paired up with world-renowned team Lochsa Engineering whose portfolio includes the Mandalay Bay Resort, Wynn Hotel Las Vegas, Taipei 101, The Palms Hotel Casino, and Hoover Dam. In March 2004, construction of the grand canyon skywalk began. One million pounds of steel were allotted for this structure.
The revealing moment for the grand canyon skywalk was in May 2005 when a final test was conducted. Amazingly, the structure passed engineering requirements by 400 percent! This enables the grand canyon skywalk to withstand gustiness of more than 100 miles per hour, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake originating within 50 miles and 71 million pounds of weight equivalent to 71 fully loaded 747 Boeing airbus planes.
The structure stands on the Hulapai Indian Reservation and funded by the Grand Canyon Resort Corporation. The $40 million project is one of the efforts of the Indian Tribe to convert 1,000 acres of Indian reservation into a tourist destination. In the future, a golf course and a high-end resort will also accommodate visiting tourists.
Definitely, this is another adventure in the canyon. Wondering how much it would cost to step on a glass bottom? Officials say the fee for the grand canyon skywalk is $25 per head. For the point of comparison, the entrance fee in the south rim is $20 per car. The bridge can accommodate 120 people at once, who can walk comfortably on a 4-inch thick glass protruding 70 feet from the edge of the rim. Designers are anticipating vibrations over this geologically active region so that the bridge is constructed with dampeners to minimize shakes.
The grand canyon skywalk is set to open in the last quarter of 2006 but due to construction delays, the grand opening of the skywalk to the public is postponed on March 28, 2007. The construction of the glass skywalk is truly a touch of modern innovation right in one of nature’s masterpieces. It’s an addition to the activities that will enthrall canyon visitors and a sheer reminder that modernity can serve to enhance nature instead of ruin it to extinction.
