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Second longest suspension bridge takes shape

The Local Austria
The Local Austria - [email protected]
Second longest suspension bridge takes shape
An artist's impression of what the bridge will look like. Photo: APA/Strabag/MARTIN KATHREIN

Work to construct the world’s second longest suspension footbridge, in the market town of Reutte in Tyrol, is progressing with the first guide wire being laid between Ehrenberg Castle Ruins and Fort Claudia.

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The suspension cables should be in place by mid November. With a length of 403 meters, the bridge will surpass the current record holder in Japan, which has a span of 390 meters, but falls far short of a 1 km suspension bridge in Russia.

The €1.8 million suspension bridge is designed to be open year-round, and will hold a maximum of 500 people at any one time.

The main cables will be attached to the ground via 17-meter long rock anchors. Turnstiles at each end will regulate access to the bridge.

Its highest point will be 110 meters above sea level.

The bridge will be called the Highline 179, taking its name from the popular tourist route B179 which travels from Tyrol over the Fern Pass and into Germany.

Update on Russian and Chinese bridges

New information recently made available to The Local suggests that Highline 179 may not be the world's longest suspension footbridge, due to the recent opening of the 1 km long SkyBridge, which crosses the Krasnaya Polyana valley near Sochi in Russia. 

Another pedestrian suspension bridge has also made the news in China, due to its use of glass as a building material.  At 300 metres in length (984 feet), the bridge crosses between two rocky peaks in Pingjiang county in Hunan province.  Its use of glass for the walkway means that people afraid of heights are unlikely to walk the full span.

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