Longest pedestrian Bridge in US Opens

Did you know the longest Pedestrian bridge in the united States opened in Gatlinburg today?  Skybridge boasts spectacular views of the Tennessee smoky mountains, which can be seen all around you as you cross the bridge, but also through the bridge in the middle section which is transparent.  This Bridge is not for the faint of heart!  Knowing the bridge is made up of 129 cedar panels and is built to hold over 200,000 pounds.  That means even if the hikers crossing at the same time were heavy, at say 200 lbs. including backpacks, you could have 1,000 on the bridge at a time before worrying about what would happen to those sturdy cedar planks.

At 680 feet (207 meters) in length and rising as high as 140 feet (42 meters), it is the third longest pedestrian bridge in the world.  The Gatlinburg Skybridge’s length is surpassed only by two other pedestrian bridges:  The Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge in Switzerland, which is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world spanning 1,621 feet (494 meters) rising as high as 279 feet (85 meters) and the Highline179 which connects the Ehrenberg Castle ruins with Fort Claudia in Reutte, Austria.  The Highline179, named after a tourist route that winds through this part of the Austrian state of Tyrol,  has a length of 1,322 feet (403 meters) and a height of 360 feet (110 meters).